The Waters of Nayru
by Frank Hunter
Summary: What happened to the Gerudo after Ganondorf's bid for power? One man is born to the tribe every 100 years and that man is destined to be king. But for young Rigo, things aren't so simple. How does his destiny tie into the evil legacy left by Ganondorf, the Gerudos' expulsion from Hyrule, and a strange legend about a relic left by the goddess Nayru? Reviews are greatly appreciated.
1. The Legend

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 1: The Legend  
By, Frank Hunter**

_There is a legend which the old ones know. A legend, passed down through the generations by the Royal Family of Hyrule, which speaks of a chalice. This chalice is a relic of exceptional worth. It is said to have belonged to the goddess Nayru in the times before time. _

_Nayru, whose love for the world and the life upon it was boundless, is said to have gifted its frail inhabitants with a fountain, set in a majestic grove, whose waters would provide power to any who would drink them. The actual effects of the Waters are not clear, and often disputed. Some said the fountain simply held physical strength, while others believed it was the key to eternal life. The secret of the fountain is no longer remembered. The one truth preserved is that the fountain was coveted by all races and peoples of the world._

_The goddesses sadly misjudged the envious nature of mortal creatures. The gift, intended to bless the various races of Hyrule, instead became a curse. Wars were fought for control of it, unleashing bloodshed across the realm, turning its fertile green plains red. You see, the fountain, although it likely did not contain the boundless power offered by the fabled golden Triforce, was a tangible thing that could be kept and controlled. And so it became ever-more widely sought. And these conflicts for control of it became the first wars of Hyrule, for before this time the people did not know violence. _

_After decades of fighting, when it seemed no resolution could be found nor peace made, the end finally came. It came in the form of a boy: the legendary Hero, who emerged from nothingness for the first time (but of course, not the last). The Hero, garbed in the green of the forests and wielding a sword that shone brighter than the sun, sought and found the mythical entrance to the Sacred Realm, where the three goddesses left this world and where the golden triangles marked their departure. At the behest of the goddesses, the Hero claimed the Triforce with the promise that he would resolve their mistake, and use the power granted him on itself, to seal the so-called "gifts" left to Hyrule away where they could cause no more grief. And so, the Hero did._

_The Hero used the power of the Triforce to expand the boundary of the Sacred Realm into Hyrule itself, sealing off the very place where the gateway lay, enclosing the golden triangles inside, unreachable, intangible, safe. This new boundary, as a part of its purpose, too enclosed the grove where the fountain lay, pulling it also from mortal reach and quenching the fuel for conflict from the land. The Hero had brought peace to Hyrule by removing the reasons for war, and after accomplishing this end, he, for the first time, vanished into anonymity._

_But, it is said that the Hero did not go unrewarded. For he had given up the power he had sought so diligently, and done so only for the good of others. They say that such an act of selflessness cannot be ignored. The goddess Nayru, before returning the Hero from the Sacred Realm, filled a single chalice with the Waters from the fountain of legend, and gifted it to him. The chalice, it was said, would grant the Hero the strength of Nayru's love, a strength that had been intended for all the peoples of the world, but now would be reserved for only him._

_When the Hero finally vanished, so did the chalice. But, there are those who believe the Hero, by his very nature, could not have accepted his reward. That he left the chalice untouched. That he chose a mortal life for himself and therefore kept the chalice hidden away. If such is true, then its hiding place has never been found, and the chalice remains a mystery to this day, forever chased but never caught. _

_It has receded into myth._


	2. The Prince of Thieves

**BOOK 1: THE ADVENTURER**

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 2: The Prince of Thieves**  
By, Frank Hunter

The desert sun beat down on the adobe dwellings of the Gerudo as it most always did. The desert was a harsh place, where all but the most resilient signs of life were baked away by heat and grit, but it was a place the Gerudo had always called home. Theirs was a race of proud survivors, and survival was a virtue they drilled into their children.

Three stories above the desert floor, where the sounds of trade and business echoed about the bustling marketplace, a young boy hung from the rafters by his knees. The boy was good looking, with curls of fiery hair streaming down around his brown skin, and he had a thick coil of rope tied about his waist. Standing off to the side of the rafters, the other end of the rope clutched in her hand, was a young orange-haired girl of the same age. Her eyes were wide, but her fists were clenched tight around the rope.

"We really don't have to do this," she said to the boy.

"But you know we're gonna anyway," he answered without looking at her. His gaze was fixed down below him, on a fruit stand with produce imported from across the river, from the Jirin, with their green fields. He'd never been across the river himself of even _seen_ one of these people, but wouldn't have cared about the Jirin if they'd had three heads each and viper teeth. Their fruit was excellent.

"I'm serious, Rigo. We're gonna get caught."

"No we won't. Who cares anyway, Amili? Get ready to start lowering me down."

"Rigo…"

"Shh!" Rigo dangled over the hole and watched the customers come and go from the fruit stand. He'd have to get down there at the precise moment the shopkeeper's last customer was paying for her fruit, that way both the shopkeeper and the customer would be busy with the transaction and no one would be watching the merchandise.

He waited, lifting his arm slowly into the air. "Almost," he told Amili. "Almost…" The people below moved into the perfect position and he was finally ready.

"OK, now!" He gestured at her and let go of the rafter with his knees. At the same time, Amili started putting slack into the rope, grunting as she braced herself to take on the bulk of her friend's weight.

"Still don't see why _you_ can't hold the rope," she mumbled, but knew he was slipping out of earshot.

Rigo had lined himself up well and was coming down behind the canvas tarp that made up the fruit stand's roof. If anyone in the market noticed him sliding down out of the ceiling, they didn't make any indication of it. Before long he was dangling at the back of the fruit stand at counter level, behind the shopkeeper who was animatedly haggling with her customer over the price of some pointy brown thing. Amili, now out of slack rope, tied off her end on the rafters and leaned over the side to watch Rigo work. "Come on…" she goaded from her perch.

Rigo looked around for a moment before he spotted it, a small pile of bright golden apples just out of his arm's reach. They called to him, and he knew that was what he'd come for.

Shifting his weight to gain some momentum, Rigo began lightly swinging on his rope. He kept an eye on the shopkeeper and tried to keep his movements subtle. Each swing closed the distance between him and the pile of fruit a little more, and after a half-dozen arcs back and forth, he was finally able to grab one of the apples and tucked it into a fold in his tunic. With that secured, Rigo gave himself a little more momentum and went back for a second piece of fruit. Once, twice he swung, and on three he got hold of another one, but that's where his luck ran out.

His fingers barely gripped the second apple and as he flailed for it, he knocked the pile loose. It happened almost in slow motion. He saw several of the round fruits come loose and fall from the counter toward the floor. Rigo wasted no time and got his second prize into his tunic.

_That_ caught the customer's attention. "Huh?" she asked the shopkeeper. "What's that?"

The shopkeeper turned around baffled and saw her apples spilling onto the ground. She quickly went to catch what she could, but as the fruit was her first priority, by the time she noticed the rope dangling beside her, it was too late. Rigo was already shimmying up back toward the rafters and a moment later the shopkeeper dropped her stock and jumped up to grab a rope that was already slinking out of her reach. "Hey!" she yelled up at him. "Stop! Stop, thief!"

Rigo couldn't help but roll his eyes as he kept climbing. An entire society of thieves, and they still get crabby when one of them gets stolen from. As though it was _personal_.

Rigo reached the rafters again and could still hear the shopkeeper making a fuss down below, though it was dying down as she realized no one was paying attention. Like the guards would come for _thievery_. Amili grabbed his hand once he was back within reach and helped him get his footing. Rigo took one last look down at the scowling shopkeeper and the grin was wide on his face. She made a rude gesture up at him, but he knew better than to take offense. Instead, he reached out his hand, caught her sentiment, and blew her back a kiss.

"Rigo, come on!" Amili pleaded and hopped out a wide skylight and onto the roof. Rigo turned and followed her.

The kids ran across the rooftops away from the market with a dexterity that only comes from practice. They hopped over dips and alleyways and a few minutes later settled into a hiding place they knew and frequented, behind some wooden crates above the dormitories that never seemed to get used or moved. By the time they got there, the adrenaline had set in and even Amili was giddy. The both of them collapsed under the sun, laughed, and just delighted in each others' company and the stunt they'd just pulled. Rigo took the fruit from his tunic, tossed one of the apples to Amili, and bit into the other himself. It was running with liquid so precious in this part of the world, and was sweeter than anything he had ever eaten before.

"You are _so_ lucky she didn't catch you down there," Amili told him. Rigo just closed his eyes. "Mhm. It was worth it," he said with a mouth full of fruit.

Amili took a taste herself and her eyes went wide. "Oh! Yeah, yeah it was!" She bit into the apple and stuffed her mouth with it too. "They could have beat you in the town square for this and it'd have been worth it," she said, though it sounded more like, "Hecuufbeefuuintaasaarefidwofit."

In good spirits, the two spent the afternoon on the roof as the sun set, following the shade, telling stories, and generally enjoying all the privileges of being young. The weight of the world was something still far away and unfamiliar to them, and as far as they knew, that's the way it would be forever.


	3. Legacy

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 3: Legacy**  
By, Frank Hunter

It was almost dark by the time Rigo and Amili returned to the dormitories, still in good spirits from the successful caper of the afternoon. They talked and laughed and practiced swordfighting as they walked, using small dowels they'd found discarded on the rooftops. In short, the day could not have gone better. Rigo enjoyed spending time with Amili. She was funny, she was compassionate, and, Rigo would never say this to her, but her smile made him flutter with sort of happiness he'd never felt for anyone else. He wondered if he "liked" her in the way some of the women sometimes did with the men across the river. He also wondered what exactly that meant.

Inside the dwelling, as they approached the small room that Rigo called home, his grandmother stepped out from behind the canvas flap that served as their door. She wore a scowl on her face that would have made vultures take flight, and it almost stopped Rigo in his tracks.

Grandmother looked over the both of them. "Amili, my dear," she said in a tone far more civil than she ought to have been able to manage. "Your mother is waiting for you I believe."

"Yeah, of course," Amili said hastily. She turned to Rigo, downcast now. "I told you we'd get caught," she muttered.

Rigo nudged her with his elbow, but she nudged him right back as she turned and made off quickly for her own small dwelling around the corner. Rigo was left alone with a force of nature.

"Get in here, boy," Grandmother hissed at him. "There's a pot of soup down beside the stove. Make yourself useful and put it up. The coals are already hot."

"Yes, grandmother," he said and trotted past her to do as she asked. She was silent as he got himself a stool and hoisted the large pot up. It took most of his strength, more than his grandmother was capable of in her elder years. She stared daggers into him as he worked, and he could feel her at his back, but he didn't know what to say.

As he set the pot above the fire, he turned to face her. "What?" he asked in his frustration.

"Have you anything to say for yourself?"

Rigo shrugged his shoulders exasperated and climbed down off the stool, setting it aside and out of the way. "It was just two apples! Like two apples would be a big deal. Like two apples will bring the whole marketplace crashing down…"

"It doesn't _matter_ what it was or how many!" Grandmother cut in. "You forget the creed, boy. You forget that…"

Rigo cut right back in. "Gerudo are not to steal from other Gerudo, right?"

"More importantly than that, _you_ are not to steal from other Gerudo. _You_ cannot afford to be so careless!" Grandmother hobbled over to a small rocking chair settled in the corner across from the stove, where she could easily get up to stir the simmering pot as needed. She settled down slowly and with a groan that Rigo knew was pain in her joints and hips, a sound that disarmed him against her, quenched the fire that had been burning in him.

"You don't understand the importance of it, do you?" she asked him.

Rigo was at a loss. "It was just two apples," he repeated. He didn't have anything else to contribute.

"Need I remind you, boy, that a male child is born to the Gerudo only once in a hundred years?" she said.

"No," he said sullenly.

"Need I remind you that _you_ are that male child?"

"No."

"Then you remember your destiny? You remember that you will be the king of this tribe and everyone in it on the day that you come of age?"

"Yes."

"You are thirteen years old, boy. That day is less than five years away. And when it happens, do you want this to be your legacy? To be known as the thief who stole from his own people in their own homes just so that he could enjoy an apple?"

"It could be worse," he said.

"I'm sorry?"

"It could be a lot worse. Our last king did much more than that, grandmother. Our last king was greedy. He was a blasphemer, he was a murderer…"

"You must not speak so ill of the Great Ganondorf, boy!"

"Why not!?" Rigo exploded again. Now that he had found his words, they just kept coming. "He did those things! He hurt people, he started a war that he _lost_, and got the Gerudo _thrown out_ of Hyrule. You taught me all of this, grandmother. And _still_ the people followed him. Still they served him. And you think they would condemn me over fruit?"

"It is precisely for that reason they would condemn you over fruit!" she shouted, and looked as though she surprised herself. She looked over her shoulder at the canvas door blocking their view into the main hall of the dormitories and the homes of dozens of other members of their tribe. Shadows were continually passing by.

"You should keep your voice down," Grandmother said, collecting herself.

"You were yelling, too," Rigo retorted.

"Shh," she whispered. Rigo sighed and settled down onto the floor.

"The failures of Ganondorf," she began quietly, "have shaken the faith of many good-hearted Gerudo who would have otherwise been faithful. You are right, Rigo, that Ganondorf made the Hylians afraid of our people. They came after us quickly once he had fallen. They came to the desert, and they had no mercy for what he did. And though we could not blame them for their anger, without the Great Ganondorf to lead us, we could not stand against them."

Rigo crossed his legs and rested his head on his fists. He fell silent. He always listened when Grandmother told the stories of their people.

"Those of us who survived the first battles had to retreat further into the desert, pulling back until we were farther away from water and life than the Hylian soldiers dared to go. And once we left, we could not go back. Our homes were abandoned, along with our temple, all of our treasures…"

"Treasures?" Rigo's ears perked up.

Grandmother nodded. "The riches of conquests past. All wealth gained through violence would be placed in the temple as tribute to the Sand Goddess."

"And…that treasure would still be there?"

Grandmother cocked an eyebrow. "It would be difficult to say, now. It's possible that poachers have come for it perhaps, but more likely that the Sand Goddess watches over what is hers. Regardless, leagues of desert stand between us and our past, and there is no going back there for it now."

"Right…"

"We traveled for weeks until we found the river here, and the town, Jirin, on the other side. And it is only through blind luck that we did. No one knew what would be deeper in the desert, and if there would be anything at all. And, the water aside, the Gerudo have always needed a race of males with which to procreate. If we had found no such race to replace the Hylians in this regard, we would have died as sure as if it had been on the sword. The people know this, Rigo, how close they came to utter extinction. They know it was caused by their blind devotion to Ganondorf as their king, simply because he was male. And though they are not so willing to break tradition and disregard the law for _you_ to be the next king, you don't want to give them any excuse to see you as a threat to our race."

"But Sooru will have to give me the throne one way or the other. Even if I am a little careless now, I can still be a good king once I have the throne. I'd take it seriously then."

Grandmother shook her head. "Please, boy. Understand how delicate all of this is. Yes, Sooru's position is that of Stewardess. She is to lead the Gerudo only until you are of age. But that does not mean that she will _want_ to turn the crown over. She would likely prefer to keep it herself, and she will be looking for a reason to do so."

Rigo had never seen his Grandmother get quite so serious. It was off-putting.

"It is important to create a legacy for yourself even now that the people can look up to and respect. It will make them more eager to accept you as their king, and it will better prepare you for the large boots you must fill. Please, boy. Learn to be trustworthy. Learn to be responsible."

Rigo reflected for a moment, but felt he did understand. He wanted to be king one day. He wasn't sure what he would do when he was, but he thought that he would do a good job when he got the chance. "Alright," he told his grandmother. "Alright, I'll try."

"Good boy."

That night, after soup and some written studies, Rigo slept. As he did, he dreamed of rooms with coffers that stretched to the sky, coffers filled with golden treasure that glittered in the darkness and seemed to call his name. And all of it would be his.


	4. Grand Plans

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 4: Grand Plans**  
By, Frank Hunter

Most of the following day was spent undergoing instruction. Gerudo doctrine dictated that the Stewardess was responsible for the education and initiation of the king-to-be in all matters that would prepare him for the position he would one day take. Sooru, though, took very little interest in working with Rigo, so much so that he had only even seen her a handful of times. Most of the training therefore fell to Sooru's assistant and advisor, an older woman by the name of Pureet, whom Rigo had actually become quite fond of over the years.

The lessons under Pureet had been both difficult and varied. Rigo had learned everything from wielding a sword and shield to balancing a governmental budget. Naturally, some of the lessons he enjoyed more than others.

"Do we _have_ to do this today?" he complained about the day's lesson on mathematics and architecture.

"Yes," Pureet answered him patiently. "It has to be done sometime. Today's as good a day as any other."

"But it's so _boring_," Rigo whined.

"You'll appreciate the knowledge someday."

Rigo didn't know when, but he sucked it up and worked through. His mind was elsewhere anyway, stuck in the conversation he'd had with his grandmother the night before. The discussion had stuck an idea in his head, and like any good idea it could not be dislodged no matter how hard he tried. He pushed his way through the tedium of the lesson, eager to get the day over with so he could find Amili and tell her what he had in mind. It couldn't happen fast enough.

He finally caught up with her that evening after dinner, running an errand to the marketplace for her mother. She was carrying a huge jar and almost dropped it when Rigo came up behind her.

"Jeez!" she yelled at him. "You scared me half to death!"

"I know, I'm sorry," Rigo said and took one side of the jar to help her out. "Are you OK about yesterday? How much trouble did you get into?"

"None, actually," Amili told him. "I think the shopkeeper only saw you. She didn't say anything about me. Mom didn't even know."

"Well that's lucky," said Rigo. "Good thing you were the one holding the rope, huh?"

Amili smiled and shook her head, which in turn made Rigo crack a grin. He couldn't help it.

"Listen," he told her. "I have an idea, something I want to do. And it's gonna sound crazy at first, but I want you to really listen. I'm serious about it."

"When are you ever serious?" she teased.

"Real funny. Please listen?"

Amili nodded. "Alright, alright. What's the crazy idea?" And he told her.

Rigo related the story that his grandmother had told the night before, of the waning power of the Gerudo king and the ancient temple, lost to the sand with its treasure buried away and waiting. He went on about the treasure, spicing the story up some with descriptions he remembered from his dreams. That was, after all, the part that interested him. When he finished his story, Amili having remained silent throughout, he finally got to his point.

"I want to travel back to Hyrule, back to the Desert Temple. I want to bring some of that treasure back here," he told her.

She scoffed a little, not looking at him. He finished his story just as they reached the marketplace and so she made no answer other than that for the sake of discretion. Rigo ducked a bit behind the jar as they passed by the fruit stand, which was closed at this time of night though the boy wasn't taking any chances. They reached the bodega belonging to the merchant Amili was looking for, traded her the jar for payment in rupees, and departed. "Long life, Prince Rigo," the merchant woman blessed after them.

"Yeah, thanks," Rigo answered over his shoulder. Amili was still silent as they left the market and stepped out under the moon. "Well?" Rigo prompted. "What do you think?"

"I think you were right," she said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You're absolutely crazy."

Rigo was taken aback, but tried hard not to show it. He tried to draw on some of those mediation lessons he'd gotten from Pureet. "Okay. What's wrong with the idea?"

"Well for starters, let's say this is even possible. Let's say you pull it off. What would you do with the treasure when you got it back here? What's the point?"

Rigo'd had a day to think about this, and had an answer. "Give it back to the people, maybe? Or use it as tribute to the Sand Goddess to start a new temple here. The grown-ups, they all still think about the place they came from. They still think of Hyrule as home, like they're gonna go back there some day. But they're not. _This_ is home now, Amili. We've gotta start acting like it. And who's better to show them that than me?"

"But why do you _care_, Rigo?" Amili asked. The two stood off to the side of the doorway into the pueblo under the night sky. Rigo could hardly see Amili, save for the glow of firelight in her eyes, but the confusion he recognized there pained him. He thought she would just understand.

"Why would you go to so much trouble to do something like that?" she asked him.

"Because, isn't it something a king would do?" he answered, exasperation creeping up on him again. He worked to tone it back. He didn't want to be angry with Amili. His temper just had a tendency to boil over sometimes. His grandmother said Gerudo men were like that sometimes. Emotional.

Rigo took a breath. "Something my grandmother said last night stuck with me, hard. She said that I have to make a legacy for myself, even now, that the tribe will look up to when I'm king. She said I've gotta start doing good now if I'm gonna be respected later. I think this is something I could do, something that would make an impression. It would be a great start." Visions of adventure and excitement danced behind his eyes too of course, but he tactfully didn't tell Amili any of that. She'd know anyway. She knew him well enough.

"Your grandmother might be right," Amili conceded. "But I don't think this is the way to go about it. I think there are other ways to do some good around this place. You can go treasure hunting later if you want, when you're older. When you're king already, and you can bring others with you."

He blushed a little, but didn't think she would be able to notice it in the dim light. "Well, I…I wasn't planning to go alone…"

"Huh?" she squinted at him. Then it dawned on her. "Oh. Oh, Rigo…I couldn't…you can't…"

The boy deflated where he stood. None of this had gone the way he had hoped or expected. She didn't like the idea, she didn't think he should go, and she wouldn't go with him. He might have expected this kind of rejection to torpedo his plan, and was surprised himself to find that his resolve had only gotten stronger in light of her challenge.

"Look," she said, after the moment of tension had passed. "Promise me that you won't do anything stupid, okay? Promise that you're not going to take off into the desert and disappear on me. Please? I don't think I could take it."

Her plea weighed on him, but there was only one answer he could give. The truth.

"No."

She took a step back, and he stared at her with fire in his eyes. "No, Amili. I can't make that promise. I'm going to do this. I'm going after the treasure of the Desert Temple, and I'm going whether you come with me or not."

"You stubborn…"

"Don't you tell anyone, either," he cut her off. "They'll try to stop me if they know. Don't tell your mother, don't tell anyone."

Amili shook her head. "I'm sorry, Rigo. I can't make that promise either." He worked not to lash out, and kept himself in check once more. It was harder this time.

"You could die," Amili went on. "What do you think would happen to the tribe then?"

"It'll go on," he answered. "Just like it has for the last century, without Ganondorf. It'll survive without a king a little longer."

"What do you think would happen to me?" Amili asked.

Rigo had nothing for that. He felt like there was something to say, but didn't know what it was or how to say it. Amili just stood there, arms at her sides, looking defeated. He decided that would have to do for now.

"I guess," he said, "that we'll see, won't we?" He turned and stormed off back into the pueblo without another word.

"Rigo!" he heard Amili cry after him, but he didn't stop or answer her. He had thinking and planning to do, and if Amili raised the alarm, he wouldn't have much time to do it in. He would have to get started soon.


	5. Preparation

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 5: Preperation**  
By, Frank Hunter

The next day came, and then the next, and nothing happened, which was reassuring because Rigo really did not know where to start. He'd need water, and food, and weapons. This much he knew, but he didn't have any of these things himself, which meant he'd need to take them from somewhere. Stealing, again, from his own people. _But to a good end,_ he reminded himself, _to benefit them_. The warnings of his grandmother echoed in his head, but he knew they would all understand, would forgive him when he came back with the wealth of the desert for the glory of Gerudo.

Amili didn't precisely try to avoid him, but there was a new tension between them that Rigo had never felt with her before. Their relationship, which had been so easy and trusting, was now marred by what Rigo had sworn he would do and what Amili had claimed she would stop. But she still hadn't done it. Rigo wanted to ask why, but was afraid to broach the topic lest it bring everything crashing down.

By the third day though, Amili was the one who caved.

Rigo found himself sitting in his hovel alone, reading an archaic, bound book on the history of his people. His grandmother had gone out with several of the older women to tend to the necessary chores in the desert, mostly laundry to be done by the river. He knew she would be gone for much of the afternoon, and though the book covered material he was usually interested in, as per usual, he had trouble focusing on it.

It was then that the canvas door to his hovel shifted and Rigo started violently in response. Lost in his thoughts, he felt he was about to be walked in on doing something inappropriate. But he wasn't, and when a face appeared in the opening it was only Amili. Rigo, sitting on his cot with his book closed over and a guilty look on his face just stared at her for a moment, the two of them frozen in time. He swallowed to whet his parched throat and broke the silence.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," she answered. There was a gap between them where conversation used to flow, but before Rigo could think about it and ask her what she was doing there, she pulled a small leather knapsack from behind her back and tossed it to him. He dropped his book on the bed and caught the pack, just barely.

"Here," she said. "Take this."

Confused, Rigo opened the pack and looked inside. It was full, very full even. He reached in and pulled out a stick of something that was stiff and rubbery and smelled faintly of the wild hogs that were kept on a ranch not far from the pueblo.

He looked up at Amili, surprised. "Dried pork?"

She nodded. "Enough to last you for a couple of months I think, if you ration it out. I pulled some from the kitchen, and some from the emergency food supplies in the infirmary."

"You…stole this?"

"Borrowed. I'll get it back to them. You know, when I can."

"I…" Rigo didn't know what say. Did this mean she was on his side after all? He eventually just settled on asking, "Why?"

"Rigo," Amili sighed. "When have I ever been able to talk you out of something once you decided to do it?" She stepped into the room, closer to him. "I've been trying to figure it out, believe me. I want to keep you from going, but…I don't want to get you in trouble either. It seems like _anything_ I do will only cause problems."

She sat down on the edge of his bed and folded her hands in her lap. "So, I figure the best way, the _only_ way I can really help you, is to make sure you're as prepared as possible to go." She smiled. "You know, because you'd probably forget your _clothes_ without someone to remind you."

The weight that had settled on Rigo's heart over the last several days finally and suddenly eased. He scuttled across the bed, grabbed Amili around the shoulders, and pulled her back into a hug as tightly as he possibly could. She let out a half-hearted protest as he caught her by surprise, but leaned into him not a moment later and held his arm to her.

"Thank you," Rigo said as he held her. The scent of her hair washed over him, and he felt like he could cry in relief, but held himself in check. That would not be very kingly of him at all.

"I _care_ about you, dumbo," she said playfully. "I don't want you to get hurt."

From that moment on, the two were partners in crime again. Not a day went by that they did not conspire together, going over a checklist of the things Rigo would need for his journey and the ways to get them. The dried meat was hidden away under his cot, where Rigo was fairly confident his grandmother wouldn't find it. The other items, though, would be more of a challenge. The water skins needed for such a journey would be almost as big as he was, and of course any pilfered weapons would be noted as missing immediately, and would raise instant concern.

"Not to mention a camel," Amili reminded him one day, while they were drawing water from the well for supper. "You can't do this on foot. You'll need a camel to help carry all of this stuff out there. And the treasure on the way back."

So Rigo added a camel to the list of things he'd have to acquire. He knew that the only possibility was to grab all of these things at the same time, on his way out. That way, by the time the tribe discovered them missing, he'd already be gone. "I should leave at sundown, too," he told Amili later. "It's less likely they'll take inventory of the supplies at night. If I go at sundown, they won't realize I'm gone until morning."

"What about your grandmother?" Amili asked.

"We'll tell her I'm out with you that night," Rigo decided. "Reading the constellations, studying circumnavigation. You tell your mother you're out with me doing the same, then stay out of sight for as long as you can. By the time you come back, I'll be gone. You can tell them where I went at that point. It won't matter."

"I don't like lying to our parents," Amili said.

"I know, but if they found out, they'd…"

"They'd try and stop you, I know."

And so the plans solidified, and the kids chose a night that Rigo would depart. It was not far now, and he was excited, more so than he'd ever been. Though he would miss his grandmother, and Pureet, and Amili maybe most of all, when he got back, they would all see him differently. They would be proud of him, and he could stand tall. To sneak back to Hyrule, and steal away the treasure of the Temple, treasure that rightly belonged to his tribe, and return it to them. _That_ was the very essence of being Gerudo. That would make him worthy to be king.


	6. A Night of Goodbyes

**The Waters of Nayru**

**Chapter 6: A Night of Goodbyes**

By, Frank Hunter

When the night finally came, Rigo felt as though he'd been waiting forever. There was a nervous excitement in the air and the evening's obligations seemed to drag endlessly.

"If you don't mind, I could use your help cleaning up around here tonight," Grandmother said to him over supper. "The kitchen has been falling into squalor."

"Actually, I was planning to go out tonight. Amili wanted to study the constellations with me," he said, looking at his grandmother more expectantly than he maybe should have been. "The sky's really clear tonight, we think it'd be a good time for it."

His grandmother eyed him over a loaded fork and Rigo tried to act noncommittal. He shoved a load of hash into his mouth, mostly so that he wouldn't have to say anything.

"You know, you spend an awful lot of time with that girl," she said finally.

Rigo swallowed his food. "So?"

"I'm just noticing. You enjoy her company, I think."

He looked down at his plate and stirred at its contents. "Maybe I do," he said mildly. Of course that wasn't the real reason he wanted to get away that night, but it was as good an excuse as any. The best excuses are the ones that are most true.

Grandmother thought on it before answering. "If you'll at least help me clean the dishes, you can go outside tonight. As long as you promise you'll help tidy up the room tomorrow. And you stay out of trouble."

"Of course," Rigo said. He flashed her a smile that he hoped looked more genuine than he felt, because the next two words he spoke hurt as they escaped his lips.

"I promise."

Lying to his grandmother wasn't a habit Rigo typically indulged in, and it wasn't one he would say he wanted to adopt. He finished supper and did the dishes while Grandmother picked up some things around the living area and brushed a thin layer of dust away, humming as she did. When he was finished, he shouldered the leather knapsack containing his food as casually as he could. When his grandmother glanced at it, he shrugged and simply told her, "Instruments. A compass. You know."

"Mm," she said. "Try not to be back too late. If you get in after I fall asleep, please wake me so I know you're alright."

"Grandmother, that's really not…"

"Do it, boy. Please. I'll rest easier."

Rigo kept his composure. "Okay. I will." He went to give her a hug, wrapping his arms around her. It was something he hadn't done in some time, and he found it easier than he remembered. He wondered if he had grown larger or she, in her old age, had grown smaller. It was probably something of both. Grandmother didn't miss a beat though. She returned the gesture.

"I love you, Grandmother," Rigo said.

"And I, you, boy. Be careful," she answered.

"I will," he said. And with that, he was off.

He was to meet Amili in an alley around the back of the pueblo. At night there would be no one else there, and they could pull their materials together and take as much time as needed, within reason. By the time he got there though, she was already waiting. In the moonlight he wondered if he could see tears in her eyes. He knew he was holding back his own, and felt an instant of hot hatred. He hated that the start to such an exciting and wonderful adventure should be marred by such sadness and loss. He decided to let it all alone. If she wanted to cry when he was gone, that was her business.

"You're late already," Amili said. At her feet lay a full water skin. It was, as Rigo had expected, more than half the size of his own body. But he hadn't expected it to already be full.

"What are you doing with that already?" he hissed under his breath. "You're supposed to be getting the water while I get the weapons, so we do it all at once."

"These things are heavy!" she protested. "Besides, I had nothing to do while I was waiting for you, slow poke. So I filled one up. I'll go back for the second one now, if you're finally ready."

Rigo tried to find a way to criticize her, but couldn't come up with anything reasonable. "I didn't get caught," she added.

"Fine," Rigo said. "Fine."

The check list for the journey involved Rigo's bag of dried pork, two water skins, one short sword, one wooden shield, a bow, a quiver of arrows, and, of course, one camel. The water was Amili's job. The weapons were on Rigo because, thanks to his unique relationship with the Stewardess, he had access to the armory. The camel they'd both go for last of all, and then Rigo would be off.

"Let's get the rest of the stuff and be back here in ten minutes sharp. Can you manage that?" he asked.

"I'm not the one who was late," Amili prodded.

"It was my grandmother," Rigo said. Amili quieted.

"Sorry," she said. "It's okay, I wasn't waiting long anyway."

"Don't worry about it," Rigo said, and he set the food satchel down next to the water skin. "Let's just get moving now."

"Wait. I got one other gift for you from the marketplace," Amili said before they got moving again. She reached into her pocket and produced a flint, for striking fire. "I don't know what there is to light out there, but maybe this will come in handy."

"I…" Rigo started, but trailed off. Fire was something he'd overlooked, something now he wouldn't have if not for Amili. He owed her so much, and couldn't begin to imagine how he would ever pay her back.

"Thanks, again," he said, taking the flint. "For everything."

"Don't get mushy," she told him. "Let's finish with the supplies."

"Right."

With that, the kids bounded off in different directions. Rigo stopped long enough to watch Amili disappear into the night, and then slipped back into the pueblo. Yeah, she was something, alright. He wondered if he would ever get to tell her so.

He made straight for the armory. The chamber was set in a deep recess of the pueblo. It was under heavy guard, even at night, but because Rigo was regularly learning to spar in the training rooms within, no one thought much of seeing him there. He greeted several of the guards as he walked past, and made a note of their routes and destinations. They wouldn't be so friendly if they saw him leaving armed, and truth told, he wasn't entirely sure how he was going to sneak out of here with his haul.

He told the guard outside the door that he was going in for some evening training and was admitted to the armory storeroom. Once inside, he went to the clay shelves on one side of the room and chose the items he was most comfortable with. There was dual-edged blade with a ruby set into the handle that was particularly well-balanced and that he felt confident wielding. The wooden shield he chose had the emblem of the Gerudo branded into its center. He strapped it to his back. A standard-looking bow and quiver were also slung over his shoulders.

He was almost finished and contemplated the reality of incapacitating the guard outside the door without hurting her, when he heard a voice from across the room.

"I don't recall assigning you any homework like this," it echoed. Rigo's knees bent instantly, instinctually. He was ready to run or fight, whatever was easiest, but when he looked at his challenger, his stomach turned over. Standing across the room, beside another rack filled with slings and polearms, was Pureet, her arms crossed.

_Crap_, Rigo thought to himself, and shot a glance at the doorway. But there were no guards. She hadn't brought them in with her. Actually, he realized the entrance had been visible from where he stood all the time. He hadn't seen her come in from that way at all. No one had come in that way.

He eyed her over suspiciously, and then tried, visibly, to relax. Maybe he could talk his way out of this.

"Independent study," he said.

Pureet took a few slow steps toward him, cocked her head, and eyed the quiver on his shoulder, which was full to capacity with war-grade arrows. Rigo couldn't remember ever noticing before quite how tall she was.

"Must be quite a project," she said, "if you need all that gear."

"It's something," he agreed, still wondering how she had even gotten into the room. Still, closer she came. Rigo was uneasy. He wanted to reach for the hilt of his sword, but was afraid any action he took might bring her down on him, and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she could kill him if that was what she wanted.

"Your grandmother," she continued, "is, I'm sure, aware of your extracurricular activities?"

He nodded. "Of course."

She was directly in front of him now and looking down. He held her gaze.

"I wouldn't lie to me, if I were you," she said.

His head was spinning, but still he held his ground. He didn't see any way past this, no way to best Pureet physically, and if he got caught lying to her…well, he might as well just try to fight and end it quickly.

Rigo did the only thing he could think of. He told her the truth.

"I'm going to Hyrule. Tonight," he said.

As he said it, Pureet shook. It was, Rigo thought, the only thing me might have said to get that reaction.

"You're going…_where_?" she asked, unsure even of the question.

"To Hyrule," he repeated.

There was silence as she assessed him, trying to decide, maybe, if he was joking. She seemed to come to the conclusion that he wasn't.

"No one has gone back since we were banished," she whispered.

"I think someone should," he said. "From what I understand, we left things there that belonged to us. Pieces of our past. I think…I think it's important. We need to have some of it, to get some of it back, before we can even start thinking about the future." It was maybe the deepest sentiment Rigo had ever tried to express. And he wondered really how he had come to feel so strongly about the tribe and his role in it. But now that he said it out loud, he knew this was truly how he felt, and this was truly what must be done. Although it seemed redundant, he decided again that he was going, and no one would stop him here.

"This quest. You don't...take it as yourself. Do you?" Pureet asked.

Rigo wasn't sure exactly what she meant, but the words, the answer, spilled from his mouth without even a thought. "No. I take it as king," he said.

Pureet nodded at him slowly. She looked at him in a way he had never seen before, with a kind of reverence he would never have gotten from her as a student in her classes. It was somewhat unsettling, but Rigo held his shoulders high, as he knew he had to. As would be expected.

Pureet seemed to come to a sudden decision and turned on her heel. "Follow me," she said, and stalked back to where Rigo had first seen her standing. Rigo trotted after her, trying to balance the equipment that lay lopsidedly across his back. "Where?" he asked, but he didn't have to. His mentor jammed in one of the shelves on the adjacent wall, and it slid in a few inches. With another push, Pureet pushed the solid wall into a hidden doorway that gave way into a narrow corridor, lit by nothing.

The door closed after the two of them had entered, and Rigo could only follow after his mentor's footsteps into the dark. There were twists and turns, and he kept his hand on the wall, trying not to be afraid in the foreign maze he followed behind the walls of the pueblo he knew so well.

"I make my daily inspection of the armory in the morning, at sunrise," Pureet said as they walked. "I will have to report the weapons as missing then. To Sooru. If she guesses at your plan, she may wish to stop you. We may have to come after you."

Rigo was still shocked that Pureet had not turned him in already, but he tried to take it in stride, to follow along with her and her train of thought. "So what do I do?" he asked.

"Travel to the south as you depart the fortress. Travel for one day's time in that direction. Sooru would take her riders directly to the northeast, for that is where your destination lies. Turn that way only after your day's travel to the south. That should orient you, and keep your path far enough from ours that we will not cross paths, so long as you do not light a fire. Watch your step, there are stairs."

Rigo did not immediately discern that this last bit was meant for him now, and almost tripped on the first step up. He caught his footing at the last second.

"Then won't you just be waiting for me when I get to Hyrule?"

"I do not think Sooru would go so far as you intend to go. She will aim to intercept you on the first leg of your journey. I would guess if you can make it four days to the northeast without being caught, your journey will go uninterrupted the rest of the way. By us, anyway."

The top of the stairway became visible, as moonlight glittered in through a small window ahead of them. The silver light was shockingly bright in the dark space. Rigo had only one more question he needed to ask, and so he did.

"Why are you helping me?"

Pureet turned to him in the moonlight as they reached the window. "You do not see things as clearly as I can, young Rigo. I am exposed to the clan's inner workings, and they are not as smooth as they once were. Sooru is not as stable as she should be, and your imminent claim to the throne of Gerudo disturbs her. Among the soldiers, there is a great split of opinion on who is the rightful leader of the tribe, and who would hold power if it came down to conflict."

She gestured him over to the window, where he came and looked down. They were maybe two stories off the ground, above an angled surface on the wall of the pueblo.

"If you succeed in this gesture as you intend, and you honor the spirit of Gerudo such, I think it would do a great deal to solidify your right to the crown."

Rigo gulped. "You would follow me over Sooru?"

"The Sand Goddess claims you as king, Rigo, and her word is our way," Pureet said. "I would follow you without hesitation or regret, even if it meant my life."

They stood for a long moment before Pureet beckoned him on. "Come. Sit on the sill, and slide down the wall here. It is built for quick escape."

Rigo climbed up onto the sill and tried not to look down. He never knew how Pureet had felt about him, never thought she'd ever seen him as any more than a somewhat insubordinate, stubborn child. He had no idea.

"Slide," she said and rested a hand on his back. "And leave now. Remember. One day to the south, then turn northeast. No fires, at least not for the first four days. You understand?"

"Yes," he said, and before there was a chance for anything else, she gave him a push and he fell out into the night.


	7. The Departure

**The Waters of Nayru**

**Chapter 7: The Departure**

By, Frank Hunter

The secret window let out at the back of the complex, not far from the alley where Rigo and Amili were gathering themselves. Once his feet hit the ground, Rigo took one stumbling step and looked back up at the wall. Pureet was already gone, but the window was still there. It was amazing. Such a simple thing, really, the window. So simple that he never realized he didn't know where it looked out from. Was there a whole network of catacombs behind the more familiar rooms of the pueblo? What was the purpose?

Never mind that now. No time to worry about it. He trotted the short distance back to the alley, where Amili was already waiting.

"You're late again," she said.

"Yeah, I know," Rigo answered, simply. He wanted to say more, but it wasn't right to burden her with the danger he had gone through, and the secret he had learned. She had enough on her mind.

At her feet now lay the first water skin she had filled earlier, and not one, but two additional.

"Why are there three of them?" Rigo asked, gesturing at the skins. "I'm only taking two, why'd you risk three?"

She didn't answer at first, seemed instead to steel herself as she stared at the sand. Her confidence built up, she told him. "I think...I've decided to go with you."

It didn't register at first. "You think?" he asked.

She jerked her head. "I'm coming with you."

"But...what about all the risks? What about your mother? You said..."

"Stop," she injected. " Rigo, just stop. Before you change my mind." This was visibly wearing on her. The tears Rigo thought he saw in her eyes before had resurfaced, clearer now and definitely there.

"The best way I can help protect you is to be with you. And besides, what really happens if you leave me? I know too much. I'll be in endless trouble in the pueblo. They'll make me tell them where you've gone. And our parents...no. I'm coming."

Rigo opened his mouth to argue with her. There were a million reasons why not, but he couldn't for the life of him force any sound to come out. Yes, it would be dangerous, and he had committed to going on the journey himself. But, selfish as it might be, the idea of company, of _Amili's_ company specifically, was too good. He wanted, perhaps more than even the adventure itself, the chance to be with Amili. The chance to share all of this with her. So he said the magic word, and tried not to sound too ecstatic. "Okay."

There are moments in life when a person will make his or her own bed, and set wheels in motion that will come full circle later on. It's never clear to the person involved when these pivotal moments happen. As you must realize, it is difficult to see the full picture when you're the one being painted. But the challenges faced later in life, challenges we often chalk up to fate or karma or the intervention of the goddesses, can often be defined by what we have done in the past.

Rigo could not have known what that one little word would set in motion, and what it would mean for him down the road. But it echoed through the fabric of time anyway, and laid down the path that would become his destiny.

The two children collected up the water skins. Amili took two plus the food satchel in deference to the arsenal on Rigo's back, and they both donned black cloaks she had procured from her and her mother's wardrobe. Rigo settled it over the brown-leather day wear he had chosen for himself, and took in his appearance as best he was able. The cloak hung long in the back and open in the front, giving the appearance that he was broader, stronger than he really was. The outfit reminded him in many ways of the pictures he'd seen of his predecessor, a large, imposing figure in his own right. It seemed appropriate.

The fashion show finished, the kids made slowly for the front of the pueblo, keeping to the shadows. The stable stood outside, one of the first stops a person would make upon returning home and the last place they would need to go before leaving, which suited Rigo's purposes just fine. There was a single guard out front, and the plan was simple. However, the guard had a very loud horn strapped to her belt, and it was important that it not get blown too early.

They separated again. Amili walked confidently around one side of the small stable building, and Rigo slunk down the other. At the front, he waited. When Amili stepped around the building she made no effort to hide herself. In fact, she greeted the guard.

"Hi there!" she said loudly. "Beautiful night, isn't it?"

The guard scowled down at her from where she stood, not moving a muscle. Amili pretended not to notice.

"I love when you can see the stars. It's a good night for studying the constellations. I was doing that just over there."

"Good for you," the guard mumbled.

"Yeah, it was fun," she went on. "Do you ever study them? I was trying to find the Southern Sabre over there." She pointed out to the horizon. "But I'm not sure where it is. Do you know?"

Amili's inquisitiveness quickly began trying the guard's patience. "Look kid, what are you _doing_ out here so late?"

Amili looked shocked at the guard's brusqueness. She fell back a few steps as though lashed at. Back toward the side of the building. And the guard's eyes followed her. Rigo took his cue.

"I...I just told you," Amili stammered. "I was j...j...just stargazing."

While she had the guard's attention, Rigo slipped in the doorway, unnoticed. Just two things to do inside: saddle and prep one camel, and then send a second out the stable door at speed. While the guard was busy chasing down the decoy camel, they'd slip out, load up, and be gone, and that would be that.

Even in the dark, Rigo found the animals and supplies without much trouble. He opened the gate to the animals' pen and chose the one he wanted, a large beast with a finely groomed beige coat. That would do him well. He began to strap the saddle to its back (the dual saddle, he reminded himself, not the single, he would have a passenger), and lent an ear to Amili's discussion outside as he worked. The distraction was working wonderfully.

"I got tired of studying," Amili told the guard, "and thought I would go out for an evening ride. I wanted to get a camel from you. I've always wanted to ride one."

"A _camel_?" the guard asked incredulously.

"Yeah. You've got 'em here, right?" Amili asked.

"Kid, you can't just _take_ a camel from the stables. These animals are held in lien by the Stewardship of Gerudo. You need permission to ride one."

"I have permission," Amili said cheerfully. Rigo knew what would happen now. She would reach into her tunic and pull out a scrap of paper that he had given her. It, actually, was a napkin.

"I have a written letter here, signed by Prince Rigo," she told the guard with an air of confidence. "It says that, on his authority, I am allowed to ride any Gerudo mount I want at any time of my choosing."

The guard made a noise somewhere between a grunt and a squeak and Rigo rolled his eyes. It was incredible the guard was even entertaining this. She must have been bored. Just another minute, and Rigo'd have the first camel prepped and ready to go, complete with straps to hold fast to their water supply.

"This doesn't count as a letter of permission," the guard said from outside.

"What do you mean!?" Amili protested. "It _says_ I have permission, it _has_ the prince's signature, right there!"

"Yes, I see that. But regardless of what your _table scrap_ says, the great '_Prince'_ Rigo does not have the authority necessary to permit release of one of these animals. You would need written consent from Stewardess Sooru for such, and even so, I would not allow you to ride freely in the dead of night. Where is your _sense_, girl?"

Rigo felt something cringe inside of him as he tightened the final strap on the camel. His permission wasn't sufficient? Granted, he hadn't expected (or wanted) the ploy to work, to send the guard inside for a camel, but something about the way she phrased that rejection rubbed him the wrong way. He thought back on what Pureet had told him about how split the soldiers were regarding the true leader of Gerudo. He thought he knew where _this_ guard would stand if it came down to it.

He chose his second animal, the decoy animal, and began leading it into position in front of his own mount. This one, a shaggy brown oaf of a camel, looked down on Rigo disdainfully as he urged it into position in front of his actual ride.

"You know, as the future _king_ of Gerudo, I would think Prince Rigo has authority to permit anything he wants," Amili said. Rigo's heart swelled. At least she was on his side. Always on his side.

The guard sighed. "Kid, I really don't have time for this right now. I don't know who your mom is, but it's time for you to get back to her and get out of my hair."

There it was. Amili had now outstayed her welcome and the time to go upon them. Rigo rapped the decoy camel on its rear end and pointed it toward the door. "Hut hut!" he urged at it under his breath.

And nothing happened.

Rigo tried again, this time accompanying the rap with a little push. The stubborn camel snorted but still did not budge.

"Well, you see," he heard Amili outside, still biding for time, "my mother thinks...knows I'm outside, see? So it's better if I just stay here."

"I really don't care where you go," the guard responded, "but you need to leave. Before I call someone to take you home."

Sweat beaded on Rigo's forehead. "Come on..." he urged the camel, all but pounding on its rump now. Still no luck. The animal seemed to be gleefully ignoring him.

"Right," Amili stalled. "It's just..."

Rigo needed to get this thing moving before Amili got into trouble. He reached up over his shoulder and pulled an arrow from his quiver. "Sorry," he whispered to the camel. "But you're being a jerk."

He slipped the arrowhead into his fingers and, not wanting to stab the unfortunate creature too deeply, left only the barest tip exposed. He wound his arm back, and with reasonable force, gave the camel one last pointed smack to get it moving.

The camel noticed it that time but, still intent on not being cooperative, did not use it as motivation to go shooting out the front door as planned. Instead, the beast let out a bray that echoed around the small stable and gave a backward mule-kick so hard that Rigo almost didn't have time to stumble out of the way. The kick, fortunately, did not hit Rigo or his mounted camel. That would have been disastrous. But it did hit a solid hitching post with a resounding crash that might have been a small explosion.

"What was that?" came the guard's voice from outside. Crap.

"Wha...what?" Amili stuttered, obviously taken off guard. "A camel?"

"Get behind the wall, girl," the guard said, asserting control in a potentially dangerous situation. Rigo saw firelight begin to dance in the entryway. She must have picked up a lantern. She was coming in.

"Hello?" the guard ventured.

Rigo, effectively trapped in the stable, stood frozen in the path of the oncoming light. What could he do? What would happen if he was caught now? Would they punish him?

Would they punish Amili?

No, he couldn't be caught, he decided. Regaining his feet, he ran back into the stable and ducked into the shadows beside a tall pile of hay and a water trough, tucking the arrow he had pulled back into its quiver.

The guard entered, though Rigo couldn't quite see. Her footsteps paused at the door. She must have seen the two camels that had been released from their pen almost at once, seen that one had been saddled up and prepared to depart.

"Show yourself," the guard ventured with more muscle in her voice. Rigo, for all his plans, did not have any experience with this sort of thing. He didn't know how to improvise, didn't have a back-up plan. He knew it was only a matter of time before she found him, and all he could think about was how bad this was going to be for the both of them.

The firelight advanced and grew brighter. Rigo pulled his shield off, desperate for something else to hide behind, something to protect him from the repercussions of his actions. The fire from the guard's lantern became visible as her hand came into view. He needed something, anything, a sign.

Just then, Amili's voice spoke up from the doorway. "Is everything alright?" she shouted, maybe just a little too loud. Rigo saw the hand holding the lantern waver as the guard became startled. The reaction steeled Rigo.

A scowl fell across the guard's face as, distracted, she looked back over her shoulder at the girl. "I thought I told you to stay put outside!"

Rigo knew this was the best, possibly the only opening he was going to get. On a surge of adrenaline, he jumped out and lunged forward, swinging the shield with all his strength at the back of the guard's right knee.

He connected and the guard dropped down to his height in a microsecond, falling to her knee and crying out in pain. Rigo didn't wait another moment. A second swing took her at the back of the head, and a quick third landed her temple. The guard went down the rest of the way, and collapsed in a heap on the floor. Dropped and discarded were the lamp and, Rigo only just noticed, a polearm with the typical curved, wicked blade on the end. That sight more than anything else shook him.

"Oh Goddess," he whispered.

"Rigo, come on," he heard Amili's voice pleading. But it was distant.

"What did I do?" Rigo asked.

"You did what you had to," Amili said. "Nothing to be done about it. But c'mon. We've gotta go. Like, now!"

Most of the rest was a blur to Rigo as he tried to cope. He had attacked a guard of the clan Gerudo. He did something beyond mischievous and troublesome. This was treasonous. There were penalties for this. Punishments he'd have to face, in the future, if not now.

The rest of the supplies got loaded, mostly thanks to Amili, though Rigo helped to haul when instructed to. Their camel was ready to go quickly, though Amili took the first turn at the reins, and Rigo sat in the back, clutching at her belt for balance. Amili, not the riding novice she had made herself out to be, gave the animal a swift kick to the flank, and the two were off into the night, on the shaky beginning of their great adventure.


	8. Into the Desert

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 8: Into the Desert**  
By, Frank Hunter

Rigo remained mentally detached in his own world of reflection for the first leg of the journey. He surfaced long enough to stare around himself at the nothingness, and the retreating glow of the pueblo behind them. Enough to ask Amili where they were going.

"Northeast, Rigo. To Hyrule. Are you okay?"

"No," he intoned. "No, no, no. You gotta turn away."

"No…" said Amili. "It's this way. Just trust me for now. I think you hit your head or…"

"No!" he protested more loudly. Amili stopped arguing, but didn't change course. Rigo tried to draw up his experiences from earlier in the night. He told her, in fractions of sentences and thought, about his encounter with Pureet and her advice to turn south for the first day. About their pursuers and the need to lie low for several days. He managed to get the idea across at least, it seemed, because after several minutes of babbling, Amili reluctantly agreed to turn to the south, though she still looked exceedingly puzzled. With their course corrected though, Rigo again fell silent.

He stared around him at the sand, felt the cool breeze of desert night sift through his hair, his cloak, and his tunic. The musky smell of the camel, the solid weight of Amili's waist as he held onto her. All of it seemed surreal. Where was this again? Where had his grandmother gone?

Grandmother had warned him against stirring up trouble in the pueblo. She had told him to be responsible. Rigo had attacked a Gerudo guard with his wooden shield. His shield, stolen from the pueblo armory along with a small arsenal, and was now riding out into forbidden territory on a stolen camel. And everything about Sooru. Civil tension, challenges to his kingship.

What had happened in the last few weeks?

This journey wasn't meant to be so serious. It was supposed to be an adventure, for gold and glory and the benefit of Gerudo, and even that last was just an afterthought. He had realized the treasure could be made altruistic, giving him of course good reason to go, but that wasn't the reason that motivated him. Rigo was young, just entering the first stages of manhood. He wanted excitement; he wanted to explore the things he'd never before seen. He wanted Amili to be with him, to be able to talk to her in the ways he always wished he could. But this all had spiraled out of his grasp and become more than he could hope to control.

Pureet's devotion in their final meeting was the defining factor of it all. She'd said that this gesture could help solidify Rigo's image in the eyes of the people. As though it weren't solid already. This all seemed to relate back to Grandmother's warning, that walking in Ganondorf's shadow could be _dangerous_. He hadn't realized it already _was_, hadn't realized there was probably a _reason_ Sooru refused to personally instruct him in the arts of leadership. There was too much going on in the dark maze behind the walls. Things he couldn't see, and never would have guessed at if none of this had happened.

They rode on for that first night with little rest or reprieve. Amili was happy to hold the reins and kept the camel going as quickly as she dared push the creature. Hours later, the sun began its slow climb over the horizon to their left. Neither of the kids could keep their eyes off of it. They had both witnessed sunrises often enough in their young lives, but this was different somehow. There was nothing to contrast it against, and nothing but sand for the light to shine onto. The desert was a reflective ocean of light projecting a new dawn of life around them and across their path. It was a new beginning of something that they couldn't yet see clearly.

Rigo broke their exhaustive silence. "They're gonna be realizing we're gone right about now."

Amili nodded, though Rigo barely saw the gesture. Her hood was pulled over her head, protection against the night cold. He realized, for the first time, that he had been freezing. He barely felt his fingers. But he put it out of his mind. The sun was coming, and in the desert that meant that black turned to white, cold to scorching heat. They would be ready to kill for a cool breeze within the hour.

"We'll need to stop soon," Amili said.

"No," Rigo said. "Let's get as much distance as we can. When the sun gets high, we'll rest for a few hours, then keep going. Into the afternoon."

"Why the rush?" Amili asked.

"I told you last night."

"No you didn't. You wouldn't shut up last night, but I couldn't hear what you were saying. But you seemed serious about turning south, so I did. It looked like that made you happy."

"Yeah, it did," Rigo answered.

They continued on for several hours at Rigo's request, making regular short stops now that the sun was in the sky to take water and small bits of jerky and to see to their camel. They knew that the desert required great care and that they would all be worn down quickly if they didn't take it seriously.

As the sun rose toward its zenith, Rigo and Amili decided it was finally time to break. It was important to rest at the hottest parts of the day, so they could travel when the temperature was more manageable.

They brought the camel to a stop and hitched it to a lone cactus that stood tall in the sands. The camel immediately began to munch away happily at the dry desert foliage that dotted the ground beside the cactus. Once they were sure that the animal would be fine, Rigo and Amili got to work on their own accommodations.

Using their hands and Rigo's shield, they dug a wide, shallow hole in the ground, erecting something of a windscreen and exposing the cooler sand below the surface, sand which had not yet been sun-exposed. Using the arrows as poles, they strapped their cloaks above the hole, blocking out the sun and giving them dearly needed shade. The shelter did not have to be outstanding, merely functional for the few hours that they would be using it, and it seemed it would serve that purpose. Confident in their work, Rigo took Amili's hand and helped lower her into place under the cloaks and into the hole, before climbing in himself.

It was as comfortable as could be expected, although a little tight for the two of them together. Rigo kept his arms crossed over his chest so as to take up less space, and Amili piled some sand behind her head in an attempt at a makeshift pillow. Sleep, however, was not going to come for either of them.

"Can we talk now?" Amili asked after she'd had enough time of lying uncomfortably awake.

Rigo considered for a moment before saying, "Yeah, we should. Though, I'm not really sure where to start."

"Well, how about why you made me turn south?" Amili asked him.

Rigo told her again, more coherently now, about his last encounter with Pureet in the armory. This caught her off guard.

"Wait, you'd told me they wouldn't mind you borrowing the weapons!" Amili said. Whoops.

"I may have stretched the truth a little bit," Rigo confessed. Amili punched him in the shoulder, but Rigo ignored it. He probably deserved it. He just continued his story.

He told Amili what Pureet had said about Sooru, and that they would likely have the guards after them. Maybe even Sooru herself. That they would probably guess what direction he was headed, and that going south would make them about as difficult to find as a needle in a hay crate.

"But they won't go all the way to Hyrule?" Amili asked.

Rigo shook his head. "No. Pureet thinks they'll want to stay within a few days of the pueblo. Won't want to stretch out too thin. More likely that Sooru will take advantage of my being gone and just hope I stay lost."

Silence fell as Amili laid back. "What?" Rigo asked her.

"What you're saying, about Sooru wanting to stay in power. It…it makes sense."

Rigo was taken back. "It does?"

Amili nodded. "My mother is always talking highly about Sooru, says she's the best thing the tribe could have hoped for after our exodus. And she's always telling me, quietly you know, that the 'Stewardship is dead.' I never really got what she meant, it was a confusing thing to say, but I think you're right. I think she'd be happy to see Sooru as queen."

"Queen?" Rigo scoffed. "There's no queen."

"Not _yet_, but they may be trying to make it happen before you're old enough to fight it, Rigo."

Rigo wanted to counter her. It sounded like so much nonsense, but in light of everything he'd learned, he knew that it was possible. And, of course, he couldn't fault Amili as the message bearer, or even her mother. It was all part of something bigger.

"I shouldn't have left," Rigo muttered.

"No," Amili said. "No, Rigo, what you're doing…it might be the only thing you _can_ do to make yourself more respected, to even challenge Sooru. You've gotta give the people something they can believe in."

"But she'll have time to set them all against me while I'm gone," he said.

"And you'll have the means to draw them to you when you get back," she answered. Amili rolled up onto her side and drew her face close to his so she could look at him. He felt her warm breath on his neck and quickly broke out into gooseflesh.

"I don't know how you possibly came up with the idea for this," she said, "but it was a _good_ one, and it might be exactly what you need. I'm…_proud_ of you," she said. And she smiled, and it was contagious.

Rigo didn't know what to say. He decided just to stick with the truth. It had served him well so far.

"I'm glad you came with me," he said.

"Me too," she said.

Amili lay back down on her sand pillow and closed her eyes. No longer just trying not to take up space, she draped her arm across Rigo's chest, and Rigo, unsure of how to handle the gesture, cradled her forearm in his. As the only man and potential king of a nation of women, his promise of power came only with the isolation of having no real role model, and no peers to help him understand how to properly grow up. He was left to simply be baffled and alone.

Amili got some sleep but Rigo just lay there, awake and sweating in the desert heat, alone with his thoughts. After a few hours had gone by and he could tell by the shadows outside that the sun had started to drop in the other direction, he roused Amili and the two got to work dismantling their little shelter and re-equipping theirs cloaks and supplies. Once outside, they found that their trusty steed had actually chewed _through_ the cactus that they had used as a hitching post and was roaming the desert free about fifty meters away.

"We're damn lucky he didn't run off," Rigo said as he led the animal back to their campsite.

"Yeah," Amili agreed. "But look on the bright side. If he can eat cactus, at least he won't go hungry out here."

The two finished packing up and remounted the camel, this time with Rigo at the reins. They continued due south, away from the pueblo and the prying eyes of the Stewardess, who, Rigo hoped, was now dispatching her search parties in the wrong direction. He wondered, with some trepidation, what would happen if she caught him now, but he finally decided to disregard the pessimism. What happened would happen, and he needed to keep a clear head, not just for himself, but for Amili's safety as well. He'd do what he could to keep them both out of danger, and deal with whatever else came up. That was the best he could hope for.


	9. The Oasis

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 9: The Oasis**  
By, Frank Hunter

The desert passed in much the same fashion each day as it did on the first. Rigo kept moving south well into the night of that first day, and turned northeast just before dawn.

"You want to ride into the tail of Saggat, the scorpion," Amili reminded him, pointing over his shoulder at the constellation before them. "Saggat rises in the northeast this time of year, and his tail points down."

Rigo adjusted his course and made straight for the scorpion's tail, which should have been more or less northeast. "Good thing one of us actually _did _study stars, huh?" he asked.

By the second day, they had already begun making two long stops a day, one at noon and one at midnight. They quickly realized the pace they were setting was too trying, and to top it off, they could not see well enough in the dead of night to continue travelling, which they realized when their camel almost toppled down a particularly steep dune. A little more sleep traded for a little more time seemed the best option.

They'd make camp the same way each time they stopped. Though they no longer trusted the cacti to successfully keep their camel tethered, there unfortunately was no alternative to be had, so they settled on just keeping a loose watch over the animal. It seemed as grateful as they did for the downtime, and never wandered as far as it had on that first day again. But the real challenge in those nighttime reprieves was fighting the urge to light a fire. It was cold and their shelters did not do enough to trap the heat, and there _were_ actually dry bushes available when the camel didn't eat all the foliage.

Rigo took to pulling Amili close and the two would sleep together, sharing body heat to combat the harsh outdoors. In other circumstances it would have been bliss, but it seemed they could never get comfortable enough this way, nor warm enough in the unrelenting environment. By the fourth night though, Rigo was glad they had heeded Pureet's advice. As the sun set and twilight passed into blackness, Rigo noticed an orange glow in the distance, to the north. He called Amili's attention to it immediately.

"It must be Sooru," she said. "Pureet was right. They're following us."

"If they're still looking, we should change course again, make sure we stay unseen," Rigo suggested. Amili agreed. They took a momentary rest and surveyed the stars, considering possible alternate routes. They decided to turn due east to save the most time possible without risking a run across Sooru's path.

"With all the course changes though, we're not sure exactly how far off we've gone," Rigo said. "What if we miss the temple entirely when we get there? How will we even know?"

Amili considered. "Our lessons always said the old Gerudo homestead was built near to a river, similar to how ours is settled at Jirin, right?"

Rigo nodded. "The flowing waters from the mountains into Lake Hylia," he repeated, ver batim from Pureet's geography scriptures. He could only imagine what mountains and lakes of the size found in Hyrule would look like in reality.

"Since we've been keeping further to the south," Amili continued, "we're likely to undershoot the temple if anything. If we hit the river, we should follow it north, and we should be able to see Desert Temple from there. If we can't find it…well…"

"The river flows straight through Hyrule Castle, and out into the lake beyond," Rigo recited.

"Right. Worse comes to worst, we could go there, resupply, and reorient," Amili said.

Rigo was hit by a wave of consternation. Actually _go_ into Hyrule? _Meet_ the race that shunned his people and chased them into the desert? It wasn't what he'd intended.

"That may not be the best idea," he said.

"I know," agreed Amili. "Like I said, it would be a worst-case scenario. Only if there's nothing else we can do."

Another two days to the east and the firelight was gone from the horizon. Rigo was able to turn their path northward again comfortably, but a new concern was looming. The two of them were going through the water supply faster than anticipated, partly due to the fact that their camel needed more drink than they'd expected, but also due to their inexperience and inability to determine just how long the trip would be and how much water they would be consuming. The jerky was holding out, thankfully. As a people evolved in the desert the Gerudo did superbly well with scarce supplies and extreme weather, but Rigo knew the water situation had the potential to become life-threatening and didn't know what to do about it. He tried tapping some of the more substantial cacti they passed during the days, Amili had some useful tips on how to go about it, but although there was moisture inside, it wasn't nearly enough to keep the two of them sustained should the water supply go dry.

Fortunately, this did not become the problem he feared it would.

As twilight came on their first week in the desert, Amili sat behind the reins and Rigo was working not to nod off behind her. Out of nothing, something appeared before them.

"Hey!" Amili shouted back.

Rigo jerked into full consciousness. "Huh!? What?"

"Look! Rigo, look!" she said, pointing in front of them. "What's that over there?"

Rigo squinted and stared, trying to make out the shape in the wavering, orange sky. "It looks like…trees?"

"Palm trees!" Amili exclaimed. "I think it's an oasis."

"Just try and relax," Rigo said, sitting up straighter and trying to contain his own excitement. It wouldn't do to get their hopes up prematurely. "It might be a mirage."

They rode tentatively closer and it soon became apparent that this was no mirage. Sitting in the middle of the desert was a grove of greenery and life, situated around a shallow pond that housed - Rigo couldn't believe it - silver fish. It _was_ an oasis, a small tropical paradise in the middle of all of the discomfort, and it was theirs.

The kids set up camp as close to the pond as they could manage without drenching their supplies in mud. The tethered their camel to an actual tree, and left him there convinced he wouldn't be doing any chewing this time. However, the sun was on its way out, and they barely had enough time to pull down some vines off the trees and tie them into a simple, makeshift hammock, to keep them off the ground. Here, they might become a target for oversized desert scorpions, snakes, and anything else that might be roaming the lush floor, particularly if they slept in a hole.

Despite the change of scenery, the desert cold was still unforgiving, and it was a necessity that they still sleep together. Rigo didn't mind. The curvature of the hammock placed Amili almost on top of him. The sudden dark was a disappointment though, as Amili and Rigo both wanted the opportunity to look around, explore, and gather what the oasis had to offer.

That more than anything led to the decision to stay.

"We should take another day here," Rigo said, when they'd hunkered down for the night. They were still exhausted and there was no reason to stay out and about in the dark. "You know, rest and recover." Amili was closer to him than she'd ever been, and her hair gently stroked his cheek.

"It might not be a bad idea," she admitted. "I don't think Sooru will find us here, even if her group kept on going from where we saw them. _We_ would never have found this place if we'd taken a straight path."

"You're so incredibly smart," Rigo said suddenly. It just kind of escaped him, and he wasn't sure whether or not he should have been embarrassed of such a direct compliment. Amili shifted, though he couldn't see her in the dark.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"You just…" Rigo trailed off. He didn't know exactly how to put it. "You thought of the cloaks, you got the food. You're doing most of the navigating. Geez Amili, I don't know what I would have done out here without you."

Amili chuckled. "You are pretty helpless, huh? Some king."

Rigo shoved her and she shoved back, and it quickly turned into a game of tickling and poking that only ceased when their jerky movements snapped one of the vines holding the hammock in place. But still, it was the first sign of the fun and lively relationship the two of them had shared before the adventure set itself before them. It put Rigo at ease, for the first time since they left. He was able to forget his crimes and the trouble he'd caused, and that night he sunk into Amili's hair and drifted off into pleasant dreams. He slept the night.

The next day came and Rigo awoke first, finding Amili asleep on his shoulder. He couldn't bring himself to move at first. He thought she looked beautiful as she slept, and neither of them had rested much in the week they'd spent in the desert. It would be unfair to deprive her of sleep. But, as he lay there, the morning urge to relieve himself grew stronger and stronger, and before long he had to slip out from under Amili, duck into the vegetation, and water a tree.

When he got back, he found that she was awake too. Amili stretched out in the hammock.

"Mm. Do you think we can just stay here?" she asked.

"Like, another day?" Rigo asked.

"No, dummy. Like, forever."

Rigo thought on that. Every morning waking up with Amili at his side. Sunshine, water, shade. There were worse lives than that. But on the other hand…

"It's nice. Just…you know…king?"

Amili smacked her forehead. "You're so dense sometimes, _your highness_," Amili said, drawing out those last words in a twist of sarcasm. "I'm only kidding, Rigo. You really need to grow a sense of humor."

He smiled at her. It all felt so good. He really might have considered giving it all up to stay.

They got up, took a drink of the water from the fresh stream, and did something they hadn't done since they'd left: they bathed. The water was cool and refreshing, and when they were done they lay out in their soaked undergarments and let the sun dry them up. As they lay there, Amili noticed green fruit up in the trees.

"Coconuts," she said.

"Hm. Great," Rigo said, sarcastically.

"You don't like coconuts?" Amili asked.

"I like them when someone else opens them," he answered.

"I thought you wanted an adventure!" She got up and went over to a couple of the palm trees that were curved and angled outward more than the others. "I tell you what. We'll have a race up the trees. Last one to get a coconut is the one who has to open them. Deal?"

Rigo, who was used to playing games with her, gave a fake sigh of resignation. "Fine, deal."

They both got ready at the bottom of their respective trees and on Amili's "Go!" began to climb. Both were dexterous, a result of years of climbing and dangling around the pueblo, but Amili was faster here and Rigo found himself collecting the green fruit a few seconds after her.

"Guess you'll be feeding me then," Amili teased when they were both back on the ground.

Rigo got his sword out but, clueless as to how he would actually go about cleaning and preparing this fruit, wound up mostly taking instructions from Amili anyway. Where she learned about this was beyond him.

He swung his sword and cut into the specific parts of the shell that she indicated, and made slow progress. But Amili seemed pleased and he was happy if she was. After what felt like an hour of work and some very sore muscles, Rigo pulled the more tender nut out from both of the mutilated husks. "Alright, so now how do I get this open?" he asked.

"I think maybe we don't."

Rigo blinked at her. "I just threw out my shoulder getting that out of there, we'd better be opening these!"

"Just not yet! We should save them to have with supper," Amili said.

"_With_ supper? Then what's going to _be_ supper?" Rigo asked, but then followed Amili's gaze over to the pond, and the flashes of silver that kept appearing at the surface. "Right."

"Was getting tired of all that pork anyway," Amili said. "Not sure how to catch one of those, though."

This was Rigo's area of strength. He pulled out his bow and quiver of arrows, and used the fishing as an excuse to teach Amili the basics of stringing, loading, and firing a bow. The two practiced with the arrows, and fired at the fish that made their way to the surface of the pond. They didn't hit anything (at first, Amili could barely hit the water), but the whole activity was interspersed with laughing and playing and swimming out to retrieve the arrows. They took a rest in the heat of midday under the shade of a palm tree, and walked in the afternoon. Eventually, as the day began to come to a close, Rigo was able to hit a single fish with an arrow. Amili cheered emphatically.

Rigo pulled the arrow out from the pond with the fish skewered on it and held it up for Amili to see. It was still wriggling.

"Do we…do we just _bite_ into it?" she asked.

Rigo laughed. "No, not exactly. I have a better idea."

The kids talked it over, and decided that the night they spent in the oasis would be the best night to build a fire. There was plenty of tinder around, and the trees would mask the glow from any prying eyes that could still be outside. They gathered wood and kindling and struck a spark from their flint, and like magic they had a small fire to tend that grew into a respectable blaze by twilight. Rigo angled the arrow with the skewered fish over the flame, adjusting it regularly, while Amili got the two coconuts together and used another arrow to poke strategic holes in the top of it. Before long, the two had a meal of roasted whitefish and coconut water, and the well-deserved nutrition left their bellies full and happy. After the fish, Amili took the coconuts and smashed them on a particularly jagged rock, exposing the meat inside as a sweet end to the meal.

They talked by the fire for hours before retreating to the hammock that night. Sleep would mean that the day was over, and they would have to resume their journey the next day. The water skins had been refilled and were waiting by the camel, along with their food satchel and equipment, but neither wanted to go.

This had been the happiest day of young Rigo's life, and he wished that it would never end.

"Does it ever wear on you?" Amili asked him.

"What?"

"The whole _king_ thing. To know that you're gonna have so much responsibility when you're all grown up." She pursed her lips. "That you're gonna have to be _so serious_."

He laughed. "No. I mean, yeah, it's something to worry about. But I don't think it'll be _that_ bad. Like I told you, I just want to help the tribe settle and make Jirin its real home. I think that's easy enough for a king to do. It's not like I'm gonna be…you know…_him_."

"Ganondorf?"

Rigo nodded.

Amili reflected for a moment. "What do you think _he_ would do, if he were king now."

"I don't know. Probably arm the Gerudo, march them right back across the desert and try to burn Hyrule Castle to the ground. It's probably what he'd want. I always got the impression the whole thing was personal for him."

"It's personal for a lot of people," Amili said, sidling up next to Rigo. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I think for my mother too."

"But that's exactly why it's a bad idea," Rigo said. "You can't make it personal when you're looking out for people. That's dangerous." Pureet had taught him that. It's a lesson he latched on to.

"Still," Amili said. "Going back, taking the old homestead again. Not going to war, that's not what I mean, but _living_ where we used to live, and just _standing_ against the Hylians, and making them understand that we're people too and we have the right to live there. It would make the Gerudo _proud_ again. That wouldn't be so bad."

"No," Rigo told her, "but it would be hard. Harder than it needs to be."

"Hm," Amili said.

"As long as the people can live and live peacefully, then I think I'll have done a good job. They'll become proud of their new life too, in time," Rigo said.

"I guess you're right," Amili conceded.

A moment of silence passed before Rigo snorted. "It's ridiculous, isn't it? That two kids like us can sit here and talk about this, and it can actually be real? It seems stupid that what I think should matter to the Gerudo."

"I think it's good that it does," Amili said softly. "You're sure and clear, and you make sense. I think you'll be a great king."

Rigo looked down at her and she met his gaze. Her eyes were wide and darting back and forth between his own. He was about to ask her what was wrong, when she leaned up and, for the first time, placed her lips on his in a kiss that shocked and excited him and drove him to pull her into a full embrace. The taste of her lips was magical, and she didn't let go of him either.

They sat there, enamored with each other into the night. Eventually, they brought it back to their hammock, and forced themselves to go to sleep in preparation for the long day ahead of them. But when they slept, they slept close, arms wrapped around one another, no longer feeling a need for space or discretion. The two had always been part of each other's lives, and now their romance had brought their lives even closer.


	10. Invisible Eyes

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 10: Invisible Eyes**  
By, Frank Hunter

The morning meant a reluctant farewell to the beautiful oasis, and it faded behind them like so many forgotten footsteps. But even the desert didn't seem so daunting anymore. Every part of the journey had taken on new life, and like the water that again filled the skins, that new sensation came along for the ride too. It permeated everything they did. The daily rides were filled with joyful conversation, and the breaks were much more comforting. The kissing became a regular pastime, an enjoyable new part of life. Rigo didn't know what it would mean when they got back to Jirin. He knew that a king's marriage was a strict tradition, and he didn't know if the bond he now shared with Amili would require such a ceremony, but neither of them worried about it yet. If Amili was concerned at all, she didn't mention it.

With the newfound happiness and comfort, this second leg of the journey went faster than the first. The concerns that had so plagued Rigo's mind were left behind as Jirin fell further and further into the distance. _This_ was the adventure he'd wanted, _here _was the fun!

The idea of starting a new life with Amili began to take a more serious residence in his head. He wasn't sure he would really want to give up his destiny just for what they had, but on the other hand, he was still young. He didn't know if he _needed_ anything else if he had the love of this girl. He'd heard the stories about how fertile and welcoming the lands of Hyrule were. Maybe they could find a place and stay. Maybe they could farm, and live together happily ever after like the people always did in the stories.

He didn't know if Amili would even consider such a thing. He didn't even know how to approach her about it; it had only been a joke when she'd said it in the oasis. But it wasn't an idea that would go away.

_Maybe_, he thought, _if she shoots it down, it would be enough._

But, the permeating fear of rejection kept the thought from reaching his tongue, and whenever he thought he would say something, he bit it back and chose just to enjoy the happiness in the moment, without introducing these new worries into their journey. Before long, they'd have enough to worry about.

It was only another week at the pace they'd set before something new began to rise before them. This thing they could see from a distance, almost a day away, towering into the sky like an obelisk.

"It's _huge_," Amili marveled from behind Rigo as they rode.

"Do you think…" Rigo stammered. "Is that…is that _it_?"

"It's gotta be," said Amili.

They got closer the following day and the tower began to take shape, showing several smaller peaks around the perimeter and a façade that resembled a great arena. Other ruins spanned for miles out around the temple, the remnants of shanty-dwellings that must have been set up in the times after the Gerudo left and abandoned more recently than that. It was a proper ghost town, devoid of life. But, as Rigo guided the camel through it, desert sun aside, he felt cold.

He brought the camel to a slow trot. They had passed through a valley to get here, the walls of which now blocked his view of the temple he knew was not far ahead of him. But something felt wrong.

"Take the bow," he said to Amili, who complied immediately, unstrapping the weapon from his shoulder and setting an arrow on the string as Rigo had taught her. She kept the string drawn and kept her eyes off to the side as they passed through leagues of broken girders and crumbling walls.

"It's freezing," Amili whispered. Rigo didn't respond. He knew she was right, but it wasn't natural. There was only one thing he knew of that could have that effect on the living.

"The dead," he whispered.

"What?" Amili asked. If her eyes could have gone wider, they would have.

"Pureet taught me, once, that the dead never really leave us after they pass on. They're always with us. Around us. And if you train yourself, you can feel them. It's like a cool breeze on the back of your neck, the kind that raises your hair on end. That's what she said."

"Some lesson," Amili said.

"I had nightmares for a week."

"This feels more like a blizzard than a breeze."

"Yeah," said Rigo. "I wonder how many there must be."

Amili's weapon darted around frantically. The sound of a rock coming loose and falling down a slope ahead of them unnerved her, and she gasped, almost firing. Rigo gripped her knee to try and steady her.

Whatever watched them stayed hidden though, and made no move against them. Rigo wondered who they were, why they were still here. But he also knew that spirits do not harm the living without good reason. He told this to Amili, which also helped her to relax, if only slightly. But he wondered also if their trespass on this place was reason enough to instigate them. And what had happened to the people who had been here before? This he kept to himself.

They passed through a connecting tunnel and felt the coldness shed and drop behind them. It was like a weight off their shoulders and Amili shivered in relief, though she didn't replace the bow until they reached the sunlight at the end of the tunnel. Before them now stood the temple.

"Wowww," Amili gasped, and it was indeed a sight. The building was no less impressive up close, enormous, but Rigo's eyes were drawn to one thing only. The crest of the Hyrule Royal Family sat atop the façade, dead center over the door, and perched on every single peak around the building's perimeter. The symbol, made up of three triangles set within a bird's wings, looked hideous in contrast with the temple, and overbearing in its redundancy. It was a symbol shown to Rigo throughout his childhood, in the books that documented the wars of the Gerudo people. It was the embodiment of his people's persecution and the violence that forced them from their homes, into fear and the unknown. He loathed it.

The crest loomed over them as their camel trotted up to the stairs, toward the entrance to the temple, and took its final footstep before coming to a halt. The shadow of that image cast itself over the satisfaction Rigo should have felt at reaching their journey's end.

"If this is the temple, they…they _bastardized_ it," Rigo muttered. "The Hylians."

"It…looks like they built _over_ what the temple used to be," Amili said, studying the ruins. She hopped down from the saddle and ran a hand over the stairs leading up to the temple. They were made of a stone so different from the clay and adobe the Gerudo preferred to build from.

Rigo just sat where he was with his shoulders slumped. "Then we're finished. If the Hylians rebuilt it, they're sure to have raided it," he said. "I bet there's nothing left inside except what _they _put there."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Amili consoled.

"Why not?"

"Well, your grandmother told you the treasure would be protected, right? Maybe it is still in there. Hidden away."

"I don't know," Rigo said. He felt hopeless. Could all of this have been for nothing?

Amili was done with the pessimism. Intent to redeem herself for her moment of panic, and wanting to revive Rigo's own resolve, she swallowed her reservations and turned back to Rigo, eyed him, and stormed over to him.

"Listen," she said. "You dragged me halfway across the world on the back of a smelly camel, through heat and exhaustion, and you even got me to _kiss _you on the way," Rigo glanced at her and kept wallowing. The camel looked a little put off, but didn't spit or snap.

"You were so excited to get here. Well, guess what? Now we're here! So we're _gonna_ go inside, we're _gonna_ find the treasure, and we're _gonna_ bring it back to the pueblo. You with me, or not?"

"With you?" Rigo sighed.

Amili grabbed the side of Rigo's breastplate and tugged hard, almost pulling him from his mount headfirst. Rigo barely managed to keep his feet from flailing into the air and got them under him unsteadily before he hit the ground.

"Hey!" he yelled.

"I _said_, are you with me, or not?"

"Geez, I'm _with _you. Calm down," he said, backing away from her. But he couldn't help a laugh as he did.

They unloaded their gear, setting up camp beside the foot of the stairwell. The walls of this place blocked the wind, so they wouldn't need to worry about holes and windscreens. They could sleep on the sand here. With the entrance in front of them, they decided to take one more day before venturing inside. They had no torches or materials with which to make anything long-burning, so they would be at the mercy of daylight and anything they found inside to light the way. There was a river babbling not far away, they could actually _hear _it, but although Amili made some half-hearted noise about restocking the half-drained water supply, neither of the kids was too intent on passing back through the haunted ruins so soon after they'd gotten out.

In the end, they settled on gathering enough nearby wood to light a fire for the evening, and spending the night together, with the comfort of each other. Memories of the oasis fluttered about both of them, but try as he might to cheer up and enjoy Amili's company, the shape of the Triforce in the temple wall was a gloomy reminder of the failures of the Gerudo, and he could not think of anything else but having to go home, empty-handed, a failure himself.

The next day would make or break his destiny. It was hard to forget that.


	11. The Arbiter's Grounds

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 11: The Arbiter's Grounds: Temple of the Sand Goddess**  
By, Frank Hunter

Dawn had come and the kids, though nervous, wasted no time. They stepped apprehensively into the doorway of the giant temple, holding hands as they went. It had been a long, quiet night save for the incessant yowling of a pack of desert coyotes. They were now close enough to water to allow for the regular signs of life again, and that meant Rigo was nervous about leaving their food supply untended. Amili wore the satchel with the remainder of their jerky, as well as the bow and arrow, while Rigo kept hold on the sword and shield. They both knew the place was most likely fully abandoned, but at the same time had no real idea _what_ to expect.

A few steps into the temple immediately alleviated one of the children's fears: there were torches. And they were lit. Rigo didn't know how it was they burned without being tended to. Some kind of self-replenishing fuel source?

"The Hylians are supposedly very partial to magic," Amili suggested. "It was actually magic that allowed the Princess Zelda fight back and defeat Ganondorf in the days before."

"I thought their 'Hero of Time' beat Ganondorf," Rigo said as they descended the stairs.

Amili nodded. "He did, but not alone. It was with the help of Princess Zelda that he was able to shape and mold the power of light into arrows that could crack Ganondorf's own magic."

"Uh huh," Rigo said. "So I bet self-burning torches wouldn't be a problem."

"Probably not."

They reached the bottom of the stairs and entered a dark chamber below. The sense of being watched re-emerged inside, but it was more of a breeze than a chill now, as though some apathetic spirits were only taking a passing interest in their actions. Rigo and Amili both tried to ignore it.

Rigo stepped forward, working to get his eyes adjusted to the dark. "What do you suppose…" he started to say, but was cut off immediately.

"Rigo, watch out!" Amili shouted. She was too late. Rigo took one final step forward and fell, submerged to his waist in quicksand.

"What the?!" he exclaimed, and immediately tried to swim. The substance sucked him in deeper, to his chest.

"No!" Amili cried. "Rigo, stop! Just stop moving!"

He did what she suggested. "Stopped," he said. "I'm stopped. Just get me outta here!"

Eyes adjusting, both kids could see the room for what it was: scattered segments of tile floor displaced throughout by pools of quicksand muck. There was no clear way across. "Great," Rigo sighed.

"I don't think…there's nothing in here for me to pull you out with. Except the bow?"

"No," Rigo said. "I'm too heavy. I'd break it."

"Alright, then just try to sit tight for a minute. I'll be right back," Amili said and turned back up the stairs.

"Where are you going?!" Rigo exclaimed in a moment of panic.

"I'll be right back, I promise. _Don't move_!" She retreated up the stairs.

The boy groaned, feeling like he didn't have many other options anyway. He just rested his head back on the muck. "Good start," he said to himself with all the sarcasm he could muster. "Really great. How could I possibly do worse than this?"

He rolled his head to the left and saw how. Creeping along, apparently unaware of the imminent dangers of quicksand, was a black desert scorpion the size of his fist. It was walking straight toward him.

"Oh," he said.

He reached back and grasped at the hilt of his sword, but the sand clung to its scabbard in such a way that he couldn't dislodge it or the shield, not without getting himself sucked in deeper. The scorpion, within arm's reach of the boy's exposed cheek, came to a stop and seemed to study him, sensitive to his frantic movements, possibly trying to decide if he was an enemy or possible food.

"Shoo," Rigo hissed at it and swiped toward it with his hand, trying to be careful not to shift around too much. The scorpion didn't even need to dodge, Rigo wasn't aiming to come close enough to touch it. But it still decided he was a threat. It began a predatory sideways dance and lashed its tail toward his hand.

"Damn it," he said. "Amili!" He tried to push a little sand in the creature's direction, for all the good that would do. The surface just rippled and the little arachnid didn't even notice. It lashed out again, and its sideways movements were bringing it around behind his head. Pretty soon he would no longer be able to see it, and it would only be a matter of time before he had to deal with the venom.

"Amili!" he cried again. "Help!"

In an act of desperation he tried to grab at the creature's tail and almost got stung for his effort. "Agh!"

As it began to circle out of his sight, he could finally hear the echoes of footsteps down the stairs and felt a little glimmer of hope. "Amili!?"

"Rigo? Are you OK? I found something!"

"Great, but hurry! Look behind me! Get it!"

The footsteps got closer and he saw Amili appear at the foot of the stairs and come kneel down behind him. "What?" she asked, and then her eyes widened. "Oh!"

She reached over her shoulder and pulled an arrow from her quiver. Rigo saw her plunge the little spear down just out of his range of sight. When she pulled it back up, it had the wriggling creature impaled on it, still lashing, still trying to catch something with its deadly tail. Amili threw it away into a shifting puddle of quicksand across the room. With the combined weight of the scorpion and the arrow and the looser ground, the sand took hold and pulled the wretched thing down into oblivion.

Rigo let out a breath of relief. "Thanks."

"No problem," Amili said. "You're gonna owe me two after this. Lotta debt to build up just in the first room, buddy." She grinned at him and held up a wooden plank that must have come from the ruins outside. "Just pull yourself onto this," she said, and set it down right beside him.

Rigo wrapped his arms around the plank and wiggled his legs slowly, pulling himself up and trying to break the suction. Slowly, inch by inch, he drew his muddied body free, and finally rolled up back onto the tiles.

Amili took his cheeks in her hands and looked down on him, concerned. "Are you OK?" she asked.

Rigo coughed and gave her a thumbs up. "Never better. Thanks, Ami. Owe you two."

She hugged him and kissed his forehead. "Will you please be more careful?" she said.

Rigo took a minute to catch his breath before getting back to his feet, and the two of them surveyed the room more thoroughly. Their initial suspicions were correct. There was no walking through it safely.

"We can use the plank," Rigo suggested. "Just brace it between pieces of solid ground and move it with us as we go."

"Better idea," Amili said. "We can go get _more_ planks and just make a permanent bridge across. There were a bunch of them up there…you know, if you don't mind getting a little cold?"

In the ruins, she meant, the spirits. But she was right. It was a better idea than having to move the plank each time they wanted to go further in. They retreated outside and started gathering the materials to create a makeshift bridge.

It was hours of work to set up catwalks for themselves, and more than one board got lost in the muck. As it turned out, two full rooms of the temple had succumbed to the pull of quicksand, and they bridged all of it patiently. A little more work now would make things easier if they found themselves having to cross these rooms over and over, or more quickly.

Eventually they finished construction and made it through to the temple's main chamber. The great hall glowed, not in firelight, but in the eerie blue aura of some other kind of magic. It was off-putting, but Rigo couldn't help but wonder if it was intended to be exactly that, to ward off trespassers.

They stepped into the room and their footfalls echoed around the chamber, reverberating multiple times and adding to the overall creepy ambiance.

"What do you think the Hylians _used_ this for?" Amili asked.

"Who knows? Torture? Prison? Seems like it would have been up their alley," said Rigo.

"Yeah, but something this big and intricate. It had to be more than that."

Rigo was about to answer, but got distracted when he saw the blue light glinting off something in the corner of the room. "What's that?" he asked, and trotted over to it.

"Ugh, Rigo be careful!" Amili called out and ran after him, habitually looking for quicksand now along the way.

They drew closer and stopped when they could make out the shape of a skeleton slumped against the wall. It was wearing armor crested with the seal of the Hylian Royal Family throughout, and was clean of any sort of flesh or sinew. This soldier had been here a while.

"Wow," Amili said.

Rigo looked him over. There was no obvious sign of identification, and every bit of his armor looked like the plain steel and paint of standard military uniform. Every bit except one.

"What do you think did him in?" Amili asked.

"I don't know, but take a look at his hands." Rigo pointed at the reflective, glittering armor still set about both of the soldier's wrists. They were silver, obviously shinier and more decorative than the rest of his gear, and inset with diamonds and precious gems.

"They're gauntlets?" Amili ventured.

"Yeah, but special ones. Look at how nice they are. Hold on a minute." He leaned in and reached out for the soldier's hands.

"Oh, gross. You're not gonna _take_ those, are you?"

"_He_ doesn't have any use for them, does he?" Rigo asked. "Besides, gotta start treasure-hunting somewhere."

Amili scoffed. "Yeah, but it doesn't look like _those_ belonged to the Sand Goddess."

Rigo took one of the silver gauntlets in his hands and, with a shake, was able to pull it free of the skeleton. "Who'll know the difference?" he asked. He took the other gauntlet and tried to release it, but the force of his pull broke the skeleton's hand off with it. "Eeg," Rigo squirmed, and he shook the armor until the hand came tumbling out and clattered to the floor.

He held up his new treasure and felt a sense of satisfaction run through him. Maybe this wouldn't all be for nothing after all. Even something like this, something so little could be a symbol for the people back home. It was definitely something.

He hesitated only for a moment, a bit squeamish about the dead body, before putting the gauntlets on himself. To his surprise, they fit well. Perfectly, actually, as though they contoured to his own hands as he settled them on. They glistened in the blue light, and held his arms up in front of them to admire his new treasure.

"Wonderful," Amili intoned. "Quite a fashion statement. Can we move on now?"

"Sure, let's just…"

Rigo's answer was cut off by a voice. The voice resounded through the darkness and hit his ears with the force of a bullhorn. It all but knocked him backward onto his butt and scared him straight to the bone.

_Well!_ it exclaimed loudly, seemingly from everywhere and nowhere all at once. The voice was nasally and female, and not threatening on its own but for the sheer volume of it. _Ain't you a sight for sore eyes, kid? The shield. Look at that emblem! You're…holy hell, you're Gerudo, ain't you?!_

The boy's fear was palpable, brighter than day. He began spinning around, looking for the source. He pulled his sword and shield, moving away from the corpse toward the center of the room.

"Rigo?" Amili ventured.

"Get behind me!" He waved at her. To her credit, she responded with all the speed she could muster, pulling her bow and eyeing the room.

"Rigo, there's nothing here," Amili said.

"Don't you hear it?" he asked.

As if on cue, the voice boomed out again, sounding pensive. _You're not _him_, _it said. _Are you a new one? Can it really have been so long?_

"Hear what?" Amili asked, frustrated.

"Show yourself!" Rigo called into the darkness.

_Love to, kid, but it's not really an _option _for me. Not part of my _health plan_, if you get my meaning._

"Come _out_!" he shouted again, unable to think. Unable to put meaning into the words he was hearing.

_You're a bit dense, huh? Let me enunciate for you. I. CAN'T. Maybe you shoulda given the gauntlets to your little girlfriend there. She looks like a sharper cookie._

"Rigo, you're scaring me," Amili said.

Rigo took several deep breaths and tried to calm himself, but there was no time for that. A loud _THUD!_ emanated from the walls and a chirping sound like thousands of locusts swarming through the chamber echoed around them.

"What's that!?" Amili asked, panicked. Rigo was actually somewhat relieved. At least she'd heard that bit.

"I don't know," Rigo answered.

_Oh. That,_ said the voice, sounding pouty.

"Tell me what that noise is!" Rigo shouted.

"Who are you talking to!?" Amili demanded.

"I don't know!" Rigo repeated.

_Well, you're Gerudo, so you gotta know the legends, right kid?_ the voice asked. _This temple belongs to the Sand Goddess, and the Sand Goddess protects what's hers. That means you don't come in here trying to take anything out. Or they take _you_ out._

The sense of coldness rode up the backs of the kids' necks again, this time at full blast. Rigo exhaled and could see his breath steaming in front of him. "Oh no," he muttered.

There was a clacking sound from the side of the room, and both kids looked in time to see the skeleton that Rigo had pulled the gauntlets from come to life. A blue light, the color of the chamber's illumination, brightened in its eyes, and it rose to its feet. Its head turned ever so slowly, and the dead, lighted eyes fixed on Rigo.

Amili screamed and raised her bow, and as she did another dozen skeletons fell to the ground at the walls, apparently out of the ceiling. All had blue lights in their eyes. All were staring straight at Rigo. The kids were surrounded.

_Shame, really,_ the mysterious voice sighed. _Thought I was finally getting outta here._


	12. The Voice

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 12: The Voice**  
By, Frank Hunter

"Amili, run!" Rigo shouted.

The circle of skeletons around the room was large, and there were only a dozen of them but they were closing in. Pretty soon there wouldn't be a way out.

"Are you sick? Come on, let's both get out of here while we can," she answered.

She tugged his arm and both kids made for a gap between the skeletons, the one closest to the exit. As they drew near the perimeter though, the skeletons there pulled closer together, blocking their exit. They moved to the other side, tried for another gap, but the skeletons did the same on that side. They wouldn't let them through.

"Listen," Rigo said. "I'll distract them, you slip around. You've gotta get out."

"I'm not leaving you!" Amili said.

"Yeah, you are!" Rigo pleaded. "You need to be safe. You _need _to! Please let me do this!"

Amili grimaced at him, but didn't complain further. "Okay," Rigo said with resolve, turning back toward the exit. They drew closer, and three skeletons again came together to block their path.

"Hey, ugly!" Rigo taunted, waving his sword. "Hey, ugly, over here! Right here!" If his teasing was having any effect on the undead creatures it wasn't showing, but it was the best bet he had.

"Go now," Rigo hissed, and ran in closer. The rightmost skeleton reached an arm out for him, but Rigo slashed at it. His swing of the little sword wasn't enough to cut the bone off, but it knocked the arm away, and Amili ran at the same skeleton. She tucked her hands up over her head, screamed, and tried to plow through the line.

_This is all very touching,_ the strange voice commented. Rigo ignored it.

To his great surprise, the plan worked. The monsters didn't even seem to notice Amili as she stumbled through them, bouncing off rib cages and hip bones. She emerged on the other side unscathed, looking shocked. She was dazed, but only until she reoriented and saw Rigo still inside. "Rigo!" she shouted.

"Get away!" he said. Several more of the skeletons reached out for him, and he flailed his sword with all the grace of trying to swat at an insect in flight, forgetting his combat lessons with Pureet entirely. He threw himself off balance and fell straight backward.

Scrabbling back to his feet, he got up in time to see Amili come at the skeletons' backs with a brick she'd found on the floor. Apparently, she decided that if they were going to ignore her, she had an advantage. She swung the brick at one of the monsters' skulls with all her strength, and Rigo saw the skull crack as pieces of bone chipped away. The creature lurched, and he allowed for an instant of hope, but the blue light in its eyes didn't go out. The assault _did _get its attention though. It turned around, regarded Amili, and before she could take another swing, swiped a calcified arm at her and knocked her clean away, into the wall, where her head collided with stone and put her out cold.

"No!" Rigo yelled.

_Ah, relax. She'll be fine. For now anyway,_ the voice said. _It's you who's gotta try not to get killed._

Frustrated, Rigo burst out at it. "Don't you ever say anything _useful_?"

_Yeah,_ the voice answered. _Duck._

Rigo saw it just quick enough: the skeleton that Amili had attacked picked up her brick and threw it at him with the force of a cannon. He ducked, and the projectile sailed over his head and into the rib cage of the skeleton behind him. It shattered the thing's ribs, broke its spine clean in half, and put it down for the count. The blue light in its eyes faded.

"They can die?!" Rigo exclaimed. The circle was tightening around him, and he knew he'd have to fight soon or risk getting pulled to pieces, but he was frozen in place.

_Of course they can die. They're just constructs. Enough energy expended, they'll all go down._

"So how do I…"

_You've gotta kill 'em, kid. Use the little pig sticker you've got. Seems like your best bet._

"But…" Rigo stammered, fear cluttering his thoughts. "But they're the guardians of the Sand Goddess. I can't…beat them, can I? She's a god!"

_She's the _guardian_ of this temple. Guardians are strong, not invincible. The Hero of Time went through five of them when he needed to, Sand Goddess included._

"I'm not the Hero of Time!" Rigo exclaimed.

_No kidding._

The skeletons were close enough now that they all began reaching out at him. Rigo held his sword like a baseball bat and swung at the outstretched hands, backing away ever into another set of bony fingers. Terrified, knowing his death was mere seconds away, he shouted out for the only thing he could use.

"Help me!"

He wasn't expecting to get a real answer.

_I suppose if you gave me the controls, I could take a crack at it,_ the voice answered nonchalantly.

"The…the controls?"

_Right, right. You'll need the dumbed down version,_ it said.

_If you let me have _this_… _Rigo felt a chill tingling in his head, as though he had just shot ice up his nose and into his brain.

_…then I can work _this_._ The sensation moved into the hand holding his sword. The sensation almost made him drop the weapon.

_Get the picture?_

A skeletal hand gripped his shoulder and Rigo twisted and swung at it, severing it with a lucky shot.

"You can fight them?!" he baffled.

_If you give me control, yes._

"I don't even know what you are!"

_Does it matter at this point? Your situation looks pretty bleak._

"How do I know you'll give it back?" Rigo asked. It was a pertinent question.

_You don't, _said the voice. _But that's your call._

Rigo looked around himself one last time and could see nothing but bones, glowing blue eyes, and, through the cavity of one of the undead creatures, the frail form of Amili bleeding into the stone at the side of the room. There were no real choices to be made.

"Fine! Fine, take it. Just help us!" he shouted.

_Now you're talking,_ the voice said.

Rigo felt the cold tingle engulf him. It started in his head as before, but now spread down into his chest, through his limbs. It was uncomfortable, though maybe that wasn't the correct word for it. It was as though his whole body had gone numb, but he was somehow still on his feet, still holding tight to his gear.

The truly disturbing bit happened in his mind. One minute he was there, thinking frightened thoughts and trying to come up with some way out of this, the next he was mentally shoved aside, into the passenger seat of his own head. The thoughts continued to come, but he wasn't generating them. Just witnessing. And as he witnessed, things changed outside.

Rigo's body filled with a strength that he had never himself felt. The skeletons were too close, now, grabbing at his clothes, but it didn't look any longer like they were coming down on him like predators. Instead, they looked like rats about to trip the snare in a trap.

One of the skeletons clamped down on the curls of his hair, and Rigo's new supercharged body sprang into action. An elbow caught that arm and pulled it down, snapping the creature's old bone. That done, the skeleton was thrown off balance, and Rigo's sword lashed out forcefully at its neck, severing its head and driving the light from its eyes.

The blade of Rigo's sword slashed and swiped faster than he could keep track of. It was an entity all of its own, and the being controlling it was a swordsman the likes of which he had never seen.

"Any other takers!?" Rigo heard himself shout. The vocal chords worked as always, but the voice that came out of his throat wasn't his.

Skeletons dropped to the floor in heaps, helpless against their new enemy. By the time the dozen of them were down to one, they still had not gotten the hint. It was likely they didn't have any sort of _mind_ with which to made decisions. The last skeleton lunged, and "Rigo" did too. He plunged straight into its chest, driving his sword up under its jawbone and deep into the skull. The creature trembled for an instant before falling in a tangled mess.

Rigo felt his wrist give the sword a small flourish, and then tuck it back into its scabbard on his back. The room was again silent.

"Whew," his throat said. "That was fun."

Rigo tried to look over to Amili, to see if she was alright, but he couldn't make his head turn or his eyes focus. He had no ability to affect his body whatsoever.

"Relax, kid. You're gonna pull something."

He tried to respond, but couldn't speak. His mouth wouldn't move. Frustrated, he tried to think of other ways to communicate.

"Just do that," his throat said.

He paused for a moment, then thought again. _You can hear me?_

"Loud and clear. Not much fun sitting in the back, is it?" the being said.

_Give me my body back,_ he thought at it.

"No."

Rigo panicked for a moment and tried to fight her, but it was useless. In giving her permission to take control, he had abdicated any sense of spiritual ownership over his body that he naturally had and, until recently, had taken for granted. He'd known something of spirits and possessions, knew enough to be wary of them, but in his moment of desperation he had done something that, in clear mind, he would never have considered.

"I told you to relax," the voice said. "I'll get it back to you, don't worry. Just not yet. I think you and I have a few things to straighten out first."

Rigo, in resignation to his futility, stopped pushing and slumped back in his own head, powerless. His body walked over and leaned against the wall beside Amili. It looked down at her. She was at least breathing.

_Who are you? _he thought.

He felt his mouth turn up in a smirk, as though the entity were amused.

"Me? I was the Stewardess of Gerudo in the days before Ganondorf," she responded. "And the Sage of Spirit in the days after. Back when I was alive, of course."

Rigo fell silent. Stewardess. Sage of Spirit. He knew who it was. This being was in all his history books, her name on the tip of his tongue even before she said it. It was, after all, famous.

"My name is Nabooru."


	13. Spiritual Enlightenment

******The Waters of Nayru**_******  
**_**Chapter 13: Spiritual Enlightenment  
**By, Frank Hunter

_You can't be Nabooru,_ Rigo thought from the recesses of his mind.

"No, I assure you, I can," she said. "Kind of my factory standard, really."

_What do you want?_

"Like I said before, kid. I wanna get outta here. You have any idea how long it's been since bony over there stumbled in here and got laid to rest?" She thumbed over to the corpse with the Hylian armor on it. "Way too long."

_You…took control of him? Like with me?_

"Nah, he was a little brighter than you," Nabooru said. She slunk down the wall and Rigo's body slid into a sitting position beside Amili. "He didn't want to give control over to a spirit. I'd say it was a fairly good call, except for the getting dead part. I might have been able to stop that." She shrugged. "Soldiers, huh?"

_So, how…_

"The gloves you were so excited to snag from him." She held Rigo's hands up so he could look at his new acquisition. "Silver gauntlets. They really are nice, huh?"

_You can take control of gloves too?_

"It's called _binding_ when I do it with an object, but yes. Drawback is that my spirit's then stuck in that object until some other bozo comes along and purposely gives me another option." She smirked again. "Starting to get the idea?"

Rigo thought he did, and his heart would have sunk if he'd had control over it. _So when I gave you permission, you jumped over to me._

"Bingo. Now I've got a choice. You, or the mittens. Which would you pick?"

Rigo slammed his metaphysical head against a metaphysical wall. Now that he was no longer in imminent danger, he could see why this had been such a stupid decision. _But you said you were gonna give it back._

"And I will," she assured him. "As soon as I'm sure we're not getting stuck in here for another century. Which brings me to my question. What the hell are you _doing_ here?"

_Can't we talk about this later? Do we need to do it right now? Right here?_

"Only if you wanna get moving anytime soon. And believe me, I can wait. If we starve, it'll just be your funeral."

Rigo sighed. As was the late motif of his life, he really didn't see any way out of this, so he took his time and told her his story. Nabooru listened while Rigo described the state of the Gerudo tribe he'd come from, how they'd been forced across the desert, the contention he had with her successor, Sooru, and the journey he'd taken to try and improve his image in the eyes of his people. She ingested it all, not speaking until he was done.

"Wow," she said. "Gerudo haven't had much of a break since Ganondorf, huh?"

_I guess not._

"I sympathize. I tried to help out the tribe too, once upon a time. Back when he first took power."

_You?_ Rigo asked, incredulous. _No you didn't. You have a reputation, a really bad one, you know?_

She smirked again. "Do I?"

_Yeah. When Ganondorf was out taking on Hyrule, you were here in the temple, running all kinds of sick brainwashing experiments and stuff. Most of the scariest stuff the Hylians blame him for was really supposed to be you. Then you switched sides, became the Sage of Spirit, and helped the Hylians kill him. You're a sorceress and a traitor._

"That's what they say about me, is it?"

_I read it in my history books._

"Sheesh, you're young," Nabooru said.

Rigo didn't know how to answer that. He settled on, _Am not._

"You should listen to what I'm about to tell you, kid. It's important. A _life _lesson, really. You got your ears open?"

_Only if you've opened them,_ Rigo grumbled.

Nabooru actually laughed. It wasn't insulting, either, just genuinely humorous. Rigo didn't mind.

"Fair enough, here goes. The people with the _pens_ aren't always the ones with the _experience_."

_Is that so?_

"Yeah. There were only four of us actually _in_ the temple back then. And only two of us survived. Me and Link, we're the only ones who really knew what happened here."

_The Hero of Time?_ Rigo asked.

"The same. Whatever anyone else says is utter hogwash."

_Do you wanna tell me what _actually_ happened then?_

"I thought _you_ were the one who wanted to get moving before someone died of starvation."

Rigo considered for a moment. He guessed there would be time for exposition later. But there was one point he needed to hammer home. _I'm not leaving here without the treasure._

"I kind of figured. Sounds like you need it. I do feel a pressing urge to remind you how stupid it is to stay here, though. Not that I think you've forgotten."

_No,_ he thought. _But I need the treasure anyway._

"I should also remind you that I could walk you out of here myself if I wanted to, right now," Nabooru pointed out.

_Are you gonna do that?_

Nabooru seemed to think on it. "No, I suppose not."

Despite her earlier promise, the answer still surprised Rigo. _Why not?_

"I also have a vested interest in the future of the Gerudo, kid. If helping you secure power helps bring the tribe to peace, then maybe it's my duty to do it. I'll help you. But, I've got a condition. I'll need you to help me out too, when the time is right."

_Help you do what? _Rigo asked skeptically.

"I'm not gonna _tell_ you and spoil the surprise."

_I've already given you one blank check today, and I lost my body because of it. Do you think I'm stupid?_

"Very," Nabooru chirped. She began lightly rapping the knuckles of one hand against the side of Rigo's head. "If you're not stupid, then why are you hitting yourself?" she teased. Her amusement was infuriating and it was all Rigo could do not to scream and throw a mental tantrum.

"None of that matters, though," Nabooru went on. "You still don't really have a choice. I've got all the bargaining chips here. You agree to help me at a time of my choosing, or you can go ahead and get comfy cozy right back where you are."

_Tell me! _Rigo demanded.

"No," said Nabooru.

_Ugh! _Rigo exclaimed, frustrated with his position. Frustrated with the constant state of helplessness.

_Fine! Fine. If you _swear_ to help me get back to the Gerudo and become the rightful king, I promise to help you with…whatever it is you want me to help with._

Nabooru's cocky smirk grew into a full cheek-to-cheek grin. "I so swear," she said. The words seemed to echo through the chamber more deeply than anything else she'd said during their encounter.

_Can I have my body back now?_

"Yes. But, I should point out that if we're going deeper into this deathtrap, it might be safer for all of us if you let me hold onto control. I'm better at this than you."

_No! _Rigo shouted at her.

Nabooru pouted and slumped. "Alright, fine. You're needy."

The coldness over RIgo's body began to tingle again, and he felt his limbs emerge, fingers and toes first, before warmth returned across his chest and up his neck. Before long, he could move again, and he let out a breath of relief. He was him again.

"Are you still there?" he asked no one.

_Where else would I be? _came the voice in his head.

"Good," Rigo said. He thought for a moment, and then said, "I have one more question."

_Just one?_ Nabooru asked. He ignored her.

"If this place is hundreds of years old, and the Hylians gave it this whole makeover they gave it, how is it that there still _is_ a treasure? Why has no one found it before now?"

_None of the intruders had the key, kid. They could do what they wanted to the temple, but the vault would've stayed secure for a millennium._

Rigo got to his knees, rubbed his head, and leaned over Amili. She was still breathing, seemed to be alright. "But I don't have a key either. I only brought food and weapons."

_Are you certain you have the mental capacity to be king? I'm not so sure, _Nabooru said. _The key's not something you _brought_, it's something you _took_. The silver gauntlets, you blockhead. They've always been the key to this temple._

It must have been why the Hylian soldier had come here. "Is that why you bound to them?" Rigo asked.

_You don't think I would have just stranded myself inside a useless pair of pretty gloves, do you?_

"Uh huh…"

_Listen, if you're gonna wake up Sleeping Beauty over there, it might be best if you keep mum about me. Might be tough for her to put her trust into a voice she can't hear, you know?_

"You might be right about that," Rigo said.

_I am. And another thing. I'm in your head now, kid…what's your name, anyway?_

"Rigo."

_Rigo. If you direct your thoughts at me like you did before, focus them, I'll be able to hear them._

Rigo closed his eyes and thought intently. _Like this?_

_Exactly,_ said Nabooru. _That way your girlfriend doesn't need to listen to you talking to your invisible pal._

Rigo opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again without. Girlfriend? He hadn't yet called her that, but he guessed…yeah, that's what she was. That was nice.

He picked Amili's head up and cradled it in his lap, stroking her cheek. "Amili," he said softly, as he shook her gently. "Amili, wake up. Come on."

He sat with her until she did.


	14. The Goddess's Vault

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 14: The Goddess's Vault  
**By, Frank Hunter

Amili roused slowly. She seemed almost content as she came around, so much so that Rigo was momentarily afraid she had lost her memory of where she was, maybe believing she was back in the oasis again. But remembrance hit her hard when it did and she jerked up into alertness with a shout.

Rigo held onto her, soothing her and stroking her hair until she realized that they again were alone and calmed.

"It's alright," he told her. "We're alright." He pulled a piece of dried pork from the satchel at her waist and gave it to her. She took it, eyed it confusedly for a moment, and then lay back down and took a small bite.

"What happened?" she asked when she'd finished chewing.

"We got attacked. By the skeletons, remember? They hit you on the head."

Amili took a deep breath. "Where'd they go?"

"Can you sit?" asked Rigo.

Amili said she could, and they decided to carefully try. As he propped her up, Rigo pointed toward the center of the blue-lit chamber. "They're right there," he said, and she followed his finger to the piles of motionless bone that lay on the floor, scattered here and there.

Amili was speechless. "How? …you?"

"Don't worry. I took care of it."

Amili looked bewildered. "Oh my gosh…all by yourself?! What did they _teach_ you in those combat lessons?"

_I was wondering the same thing,_ Nabooru contributed.

Rigo just smiled at Amili, disregarding the spectre. "Not so useless after all, huh? Guess I still owe you _one_ though, don't I?"

The tension in her shoulders relaxed and she settled back into Rigo's lap, taking another bite of her dried pork.

"I think we'll back out for today, so you can get some water and rest. We'll go deeper into the temple tomorrow."

Amili didn't mind, and that's precisely what they did. As far as the kids could tell, Amili was not concussed. She had managed to take the brunt of the blow on the small of her back instead of her head. There was some very unattractive bruising between her shoulder blades, and it hurt her a bit to move her left arm, but otherwise she was still functional.

The slow, casual pace was welcome after the ongoing momentum of the trek through the desert, at least by all but Nabooru, who was eager to get moving after so much inactivity. But Rigo, who still was not comfortable with the idea of a potentially dangerous spirit riding in his mental sidecar, did his best to remain optimistic and unaffected by her nagging, bullying, and protesting. Not to mention that there might be more traps and danger inside the temple. Neither of the kids had ever seen anything like the skeletons that had ambushed them, and even had their lives not been at stake, the experience would have unsettled them badly.

"You're sure you still want to go back in?" Amili asked that evening as they sat beside a small campfire. She seemed hopeful that Rigo wouldn't want to.

"Yeah," Rigo said reluctantly. "I have to, Ami. You know I do. Are you sure _you_ still want to come?"

"Of course," Amil answered. She cuddled up next to him and watched the flames. "I can't just let you do it alone."

Later in the night, after Amili fell asleep, Rigo retreated into his head to consult with Nabooru. He felt uneasy planning behind Amili's back, but the spirit had been right about the weirdness of the situation, and he didn't want to concern Amili with interfering spirits, mysterious voices, and, he worried, the possibility that it was all just his own insanity at work.

_You remember me now, huh? _Nabooru asked when Rigo approached her again. _It's funny because I thought maybe you'd gone deaf, after your little squeeze woke up._

_Don't call her names,_ Rigo said.

_Or what, hero? You gonna slice me up? Sheesh, you're so _sensitive_. You should think about growing some thicker skin. You'll probably need it before all this is up, and not just for _words_ if you get my meaning._

_That's what I wanted to talk to you about,_ Rigo said. There was a way of conversing with Nabooru that he had to get used to, of letting her insults and comments slide off him and pushing forward into conversation. It wasn't easy, not rising to her, but he was working on it.

_I know there might be more of those…_

_Constructs? _Nabooru added helpfully.

_Yeah, those._

Rigo could hear the smugness in the spirit's tone of voice. She could tell how afraid he was. _Thinking about giving over control again?_ she asked.

_Not a chance,_ Rigo said.

_Suit yourself._

_But…do you _know_ exactly where those traps are? Do you know what we can expect in there?_

_Do I _know_? _Nabooru teased. _This temple might as well have been mine for near a decade. I know every little nook and cranny inside, _she said, then adding,_ Besides what the Hylians built onto it. There are booby traps everywhere._

Rigo's stomach turned. _So we'll have to deal with things like that in every room?_

_It's likely,_ Nabooru admitted. _But don't feel so down, kid. The thing you want is on the roof, and it's a relatively straight shot there. Maybe just a couple of nasty little surprises on the way. And my offer to help still stands firm._

_Right, _Rigo said.

The next morning, though, it turned out that not only was Nabooru right, but the kids had apparently found an even deeper stroke of luck. It appeared that many of Nabooru's anticipated traps had already been triggered, and locked doors unlocked. The path to the back of the temple was, undeviatingly, straight, and actually just a short walk past where they had been delayed the previous day. There was a moment of brief fear when some strange, dark rats flooded out from the chamber walls, but even Rigo was capable of holding his own against these, with almost enough flair to convince Amili that he'd really been able to fight against a dozen skeletons in her absence.

_It looks like someone else must've already cleared this place out, _Nabooru said. _He must have just flat out missed our friends yesterday. I have a guess who it was._

_Are you sure the treasure will still be there, then? _Rigo asked.

_One track mind. I couldn't say a hundred percent. But if it was him, he wouldn't have taken it even if he found it._

Amili was also regarding Rigo with more suspicion than ever. His sharper sense of direction was unusual, and although she hadn't forced him to talk it over with her, she hadn't forgotten his episode before their battle, when he'd begun talking and yelling at himself. She was very concerned for him, and didn't know what to do about it.

"Why are we going this way?" she asked as they passed through the blue-lit chamber and walked straight on.

"Uhm," Rigo stalled. He was, of course, moving on Nabooru's instructions, but didn't want to tell Amili that. "When I beat the monsters yesterday there was a…a light."

"A light?" Amili asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah…yeah, a light. It came out from the last skeleton, like after he died. And it whooshed down the hall, down this way. I wanna follow after it. I think it was important."

_Smooth,_ said Nabooru.

Amili didn't call him on any of this, again not wanting him to add her concerns to his own while they were already so on edge. She intended, swore even, to talk to him when they got done for the day, though she didn't know what she would say.

When they reached the rear of the temple, they found a tall, cavernous chamber with an expansive pillar. The pillar reached for the high ceiling and was wound with a spiral beam that looked like it might be a rail for some kind of vehicle, though not anything Rigo'd ever seen. He kicked it with his boot. It still seemed solid.

_You're gonna do a little climbing now, _Nabooru told him.

_On that thing?!_ Rigo asked.

_What do you want from me? When I was last here, there was a stairwell. Now there obviously isn't. You still gotta go up, so yeah, on that thing. Just climb and hold on tight._

_Ugh._

Amili walked up to the rail and stared into the expanse above them. "Look at the size of that pylon," Amili marveled. "I wonder how high up it goes."

Rigo swallowed. "I guess we're about to find out."

Amili squinted at him. "What are you talking about?"

Rigo gestured around. "There's nowhere else to go, right? Gotta go up."

"Uh uh," Amili protested. "No way, that is _not_ safe. What if we fall, Rigo? We're gonna be _dead_. There are other rooms to check, back the way we came. I don't wanna go up there."

"But the light woulda gone straight…"

"The _light_?" she scoffed at him. "Rigo, do you even know _what_ you saw? How do you know it wasn't, like, a dream? Or a hallucination?"

_You wish,_ Nabooru said.

_Shut up! _Rigo hissed at her. She, at least for the moment, complied.

"Look," Amili said rationally. "Isn't it more likely that a centuries-old vault would be hidden below? Like, underground? How could it possibly be up there? Think about it. We're risking too much for this."

"Ami," Rigo said, taking her hands in his. "I just…I need you to trust me on this."

"But it _doesn't make sense_, Rigo."

"I know it doesn't, but you have to trust me anyway." With some effort, he got her to meet his eyes, but what he saw there was distant and afraid. "I _know_ the vault is up there," he said.

"How?" she asked.

"I just do," he said. "I promise, I'll tell you why later on, but for now will you please just trust me?"

She didn't. She couldn't. But still, she wouldn't leave him to die. She thought on it for a moment. "And what if the vault isn't there?"

Rigo had no answer for that. "…I don't know."

_You're sure it's up there? _he checked with Nabooru.

_Do I really have to say it again? _she responded.

"If the vault isn't up there," Amili said, "then…we're done."

"What?!" Rigo injected. He wasn't expecting that.

"You're risking our lives to do this, Rigo. This is quite possibly the most dangerous thing you _could_ be doing, even in a dungeon filled with magic and monsters. We don't need to be taking unnecessary risks. If you're certain the vault is up top, I'll come up with you. But if you're wrong, then we need to be done. That would mean your judgment is way off, and this is getting too dangerous. It's not worth dying for."

Did she suspect that he'd been possessed, or something similar? Maybe he was wrong to expect that she would just blindly trust him, but he was still hurt. He thought she would stand by him through anything. She wasn't _wrong_, though. He could see being just as concerned in her shoes, but he didn't know what to say to make her feel better. At this point, the truth would definitely only make things worse.

He couldn't help asking one more time. _You're _sure_ it's up there?_

_Dammit kid, YES! If I'm lyin', I'm dyin'. Which would be kinda freakin' redundant, don't you think? You ain't getting any younger or prettier down here, so get moving!_

"Fine," he said. "Fine, if I'm wrong, we'll stop. We'll turn back to Jirin tomorrow. Deal?"

"Thank you," Amili said.

As much as he wanted to, he couldn't be mad at her for being so reasonable. But he was comforted by the fact that he, most likely, wouldn't be wrong. If it really came down to it, he wasn't sure if he would be able to just up and leave.

The kids set foot onto the spiral rail and began climbing slowly upward. Years of running across rooftops and dangling down from rafters aided them here. Although the rail was fairly thin, no wider across than Rigo's boot, it wasn't much more difficult than what they were used to, and they moved at a fair pace. Rigo slipped only once, on a caked-in pile of grit about halfway up, but recovered his balance and managed to stop from going over the side.

"Are you alright!?" Amili shouted from behind him.

"Fine," he said, trying not to dwell on the close call. "Just watch your step there."

They both reached the top nervous, and unhappy about the looming prospect of needing to go back down. But Rigo didn't miss a beat. On Nabooru's instructions, he pointed out the direction, and Amili was along right after him. A few more landings and bridges ahead released them into a wide-open room, atop yet another pillar, with railing along the walls stretching down into a rounded pit. Looking over the side, the kids could see something below: an enormous skeleton belonging to some giant dragon that must have been dead for ages. Several of its bones and its skull were shattered.

"Dear Goddess," Amili swore.

_Whaddaya know? _Nabooru said incredulously as Rigo peered down at the remains._ I thought he was supposed to be up in Death Mountain. Wonder how he got here. _

Amili, more afraid than judgmental at this point, just shook her head. "What if we had come up here and that _thing_ was alive?"

"Guess we just caught a lucky break," Rigo said. The dead thing wasn't holding his curiosity, and he wasn't interested in alternate history at the moment either. "Come on. I think we're almost there."

Away from the dragon and out another door finally put the kids on the roof of the temple. They ascended one last spiral staircase and came out into what must have been the center of the arena-like structure built around the temple's walls. The size of the place was overwhelming.

In the center of the arena stood the frame of what had been an ancient mirror, atop a pedestal. The mirror seemed to have been shattered beyond repair. There were still fragments of reflective glass everywhere, strewn about the floor around them. It glittered in the sun. Rigo guessed the walls of the place kept the desert winds from sweeping the pieces up.

"I wonder what this was," Rigo said, venturing out into the arena.

Amili answered. "It looks like…some kind of ceremonial grounds. The Hylians must have built it, it's definitely not Gerudo. The mirror must have been something really important to be the centerpiece."

"It's probably magical," said Rigo. "I wonder what it did." He bent down to pick up one of the larger shards of mirror by his feet, but Nabooru's voice stopped him in his tracks.

_DON'T TOUCH THAT!_

The sound of her shout carried over what felt like the whole of existence. Rigo did his best not to cry out at it, but must have at least cringed because Amili was again staring at him.

"You okay? she asked.

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, fine. Just great."

_What is it?_ he asked Nabooru. _Hylian magic?_

_No! That thing is an abomination! _she said. Rigo got up and backed away from the piece which, he realized now, was doing something odd. Though it caught the light of the sun, instead of reflecting light back, was somehow generating a sense of darkness and depth. It seemed to reverse the impression of a normal mirror. He had to work to keep from looking into it.

_That was one of Ganondorf's pet projects, back when he kept us headquartered in the Spirit Temple, _Nabooru went on. Rigo had never heard the place referred to as the "Spirit" Temple, but he guessed that names changed over time. He didn't interrupt.

_It's one of those things your history books would blame _me_ for. He forced me to help make it, _she said. _The mirror acts as a portal, connecting this world to another, a dark world of twilight. Ganondorf had intended to enslave the people of that world and use them in his bid for power in Hyrule._

_Enslave? _Rigo asked. The word was strong, used in a way that just would never be used in his books and studies when referring to his predecessor.

_Yes, and he would have done it without hesitating. If he hadn't gotten his hands on the golden triangles so quickly. Once he had those, Hyrule fell, and he never had to use the mirror. I've got no idea why the Hylians dragged it up here or what they ever used it for, but it can't have been good. Better that it's broken._

"Okayy…" Rigo drawled. He walked around the arena, trying not to step on much of the broken glass.

Amili had wandered over and was examining a large boulder across the way from the mirror. There was a hole set in it that looked like a particularly sharp sword had been driven in deep. She ran her fingers over it. "What are we looking for?" she asked.

"Not sure yet," Rigo said. He relayed the question to Nabooru.

_There'll be a lift shaft in this arena, dead center. If you get on the lift with the keys in hand, it'll descend into the vault, and you'll be able to pick out whatever relics you need to offer as sacrifice in your new temple._

The center of the arena. Rigo looked around him. _But the mirror's dead center. Is the lift on the pedestal?_

_Nope, under the pedestal, kid. You're gonna have to move it._

He stared at the pedestal and a chortle forced its way out of him. Amili glanced his way, concerned, but didn't otherwise bother about him.

_You want me to push that? _he asked.

_Is there a problem?_ Nabooru retorted.

_Uh, yeah. It's solid stone. I won't be able to make it budge!_

_Ye of little faith,_ Nabooru said. _I already told you, the gauntlets are the key to the vault. If you're wearing the gauntlets, you'll be able to get in._

She paused to let her words sink in, and Rigo thought about it. He looked at his hands. He remembered how the gloves had shifted to fit him when he put them on, and saw how beautifully they glistened in the sunlight. Were they magical too?

_Do you understand? _Nabooru asked.

_Yeah,_ Rigo said. _I think I do._

He stepped up to the pedestal and took the edge of it in his palms. He half expected nothing to happen, just that he would look foolish and the spirit in his head would ridicule him for being dimwitted. But still, he tried to push.

After a moment of exertion, he felt something stir in his hands. The strength in his muscles intensified. Power flowed down the length of the gauntlets into his arms. He felt like he had just been given a tonic. It was an exhilarating sensation of overwhelming strength and power. He could knock down a tree if he wanted to just by punching it. He could lift a boulder and throw it fifty feet. Push the pedestal? Ha! It would be a piece of cake!

Putting all of his strength into it, RIgo shoved forward. The platform began to scrape and slide across the surface of the arena, displacing the broken glass fragments in its path and unearthing a layer of dust that had been untouched since forever.

"What the?!" Amili exclaimed. She stood beside the boulder and just stared after Rigo as he pushed what by all rights should have been an immovable object as easily as if it were in a wheelbarrow. "Rigo?! How?!"

"Still think I'm crazy?" he grunted as the pedestal slid clear of its original position, revealing a square panel in the floor of almost the same size. At the center of the panel were two indentations that almost looked like handles. It was clear what he needed to do.

Amili trotted up to him, a look of disbelief still etched on her face. She leaned over onto the pedestal to check its weight. "How?" she repeated.

"The gloves," he said. "They're magic."

"Is that how you knew…about the vault?"

He shrugged. "Yeah. Kinda."

Amili punched him in the shoulder. "Why the heck didn't you tell me? I'm here worried you're going nuts, and you've actually got magic gloves showing you the way!"

_It would have been a better excuse than your skeleton light thing, _Nabooru agreed.

"I'm sorry," Rigo said. "I didn't know if you'd…I wasn't sure you'd believe me."

"You jerk," she said, and gave him a hug. "Just _tell _me next time! You'll save me a world of worry."

"I will," he said, and still felt awful that he wasn't giving her the whole truth. But he knew he'd rectify it later, and for now anticipation got the better of him. "Just brace yourself," he told Amili. "I think it's gonna get a little bumpy."

Rigo reached down and took hold of the two handles in the floor. A white light spread from where his fingers gripped the stone and outlined the panel the kids were standing on. The panel shook briefly, and there was a whirring and a sound that signified old magic coming to life. An instant later, the panel began to lower. Amili and Rigo looked around in wonder as it lowered slowly through the floor and into the room with the dead dragon beneath them. As it reached the top of the pillar in that room, another door lit up in the solid floor and slid open to allow the lift to fit inside and continue its descent.

It continued downward for several minutes in darkness before the faint glow of charmed firelight rose up around the seams of the lift shaft. When the platform finally cleared the shaft, it entered a new open room through the ceiling, one that living beings hadn't seen since Nabooru's day. One that had been sealed away. The sight was beautiful.

Immense torches set in the walls reflected off of coffers and shelves piled with gold, silver, and precious jewels that put even the gauntlets Rigo now wore to shame. There were bracelets and tiaras, doubloons and coins of every culture there ever was, the trophies of hundreds of years of conquest and victory. The treasure of Gerudo stretched about them in an expanse unlike any that either of them had ever seen. Save for once.

Rigo smiled. All of it looked just as it had in his dream.


	15. Nayru's Chalice

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 15: Nayru's Chalice  
**By, Frank Hunter

For a moment, it was all the kids could do to stand there with their mouths wide open. It was a veritable sea of gold and light, and it was theirs to take. It was wealth and prosperity and success. It was Rigo's kingship, his crown, in all its splendor, and the promise that everything would be alright.

"I don't know what I was expecting," Amili said. "But it wasn't anything like this."

Rigo smiled. "I don't think we'll be able to get it all on the camel."

Amili laughed a nervous laugh.

They took small steps into the vault. Neither of them had any idea where to start. What would be the most valuable items to base their rebuilt religion on? How to even choose? Eventually, they both just began pulling together small, ornate pieces that would be somewhat manageable on their ride home. Deep on one of the shelves, Rigo found a violet sack made of plush, soft velvet, and lined with the delicate fur of some creature he had never before seen or even imagined. The only animals they kept at the pueblo were those adapted to the harsh desert climate, and such fur would be impractical in the desert.

They decided that they would fill this sack with as much treasure as it could comfortably hold, and while it was still movable, they would call it quits. They set it down beside the lift and began to add to it.

Amili had a great deal of fun with the task. She went about the room selecting the pieces she wanted to contribute with a particularly discriminating eye. She came back with a silver candelabra inset with large, perfectly shaped diamonds. She came back with sleak gems and jewelry. There was a ring that was more emerald than gold. She marveled at each piece before dropping it in the sack. Rigo would have thought she was shopping the marketplace for herself.

He, on the other hand, became distracted with something he wanted for himself: a sword and shield that put his old gear to shame. The sword was of fine gold and brown leather, wrapped smartly around the handle. The flawless steel blade curved sharply into the shape of a "C" and was engraved with gold and silver filigree, as was the more intricately decorated crossguard. The shield was hard as stone but light as air, made of mythril, or so Rigo suspected. It was adorned with the orange emblem of a setting sun that he did not recognize.

When he showed these pieces to Amili, she responded skeptically. "I'm not sure we should be keeping any of this for ourselves."

"It's just this practical stuff!" Rigo protested. "It's better than the old ones, easier to use too. We could still run into trouble out here. It'd be good to have stronger gear!"

Amili wasn't convinced, but she didn't press the issue, and instead continued looking for new pieces to serve their original purpose. Rigo was like a child who had just gotten a new toy. He pulled his sword, swinging and flourishing around the room. It was balanced so precisely, so comfortably, that he _wished_ there would be more skeletons to try it on.

_Having fun, are we?_ Nabooru asked.

_Oh, heck yeah!_ Rigo answered earnestly, and even the impatient spirit seemed somewhat bemused by his childish giddiness.

_You'll want to tighten your grip at the thumb and forefinger. Control there will allow you to twist your wrist as you want to. It's good for showing off, which seems to be your only strong suit anyway._

Rigo took her advice, and soon was making windmills and figure-8's across his body. He laughed out loud. After a few moments, Amili peeked in on him from around a corner.

"Think you can get back to work, or am I the only one taking this seriously?" she asked with her hands on her hips.

He gave the sword a few more arcs for good measure before returning it to its scabbard and fastening it to his belt. "Yeah yeah," he said as he did. "Just having a little bit of…"

The word "fun" got stuck in Rigo's throat as he looked up from the scabbard and saw something else that entirely took his breath away.

Sitting atop one of the shelves before him, in a pile of relatively unremarkable pieces of tableware and jewelry, was a single cup. This cup, this _chalice_, was a piece completely unlike any of the others. All of the treasure was beautiful, make no mistake, but _this _piece…this piece was _attractive._ It called to Rigo in a way nothing, not even his new sword, could have done. It was supernatural.

The chalice was crafted from something akin to silver, but it was shinier, more lustrous than any metal Rigo had ever seen at the pueblo. It seemed to generate its own light instead of merely reflecting, glowing from where it stood. The metal was carved with scenery and artwork that seemed to be taken from the Hylian legends of creation. Rigo recognized the three Hylian goddesses, and the legendary triangles set in as part of the design. But he didn't let these symbols offend him. He couldn't, it wasn't possible in light of the chalice's magnificence.

Inset into opposite sides of the body was a decorative emblem comprised of three pentagonal sapphires inset into a golden crest. The sapphires were the color of water and the light inside seemed to ripple and sway, as though the gems were in fact made of liquid. The cup appeared to be alive, moving and singing, and Rigo could only marvel.

"Amili!" he called, and his voice got caught in his throat. "Ami, come look at this!"

She strolled back around the corner a moment later with somesort of golden chain in hand. "What is it?" she asked, and followed his eyes to the shelf. Then, she saw it. "Oh…" she said, before becoming entranced as well.

"It's…it's gorgeous," Amili said.

"We need it," Rigo said.

"Huh?" asked Amili, distracted.

"That's the piece we need to start our new temple. There's something about it. You can _hear_ the Sand Goddess in it. Can't you?"

Amili nodded slowly. "Uh huh." She took one step forward, reached up, and lifted the chalice from its shelf with all the reverence she could muster. She turned it over in her hand, admiring the artwork and adornments with her full, rapt attention. "It's…warm," she said.

Rigo stepped up to her. "Is there anything inside it?"

Amili shook her head. "No."

"I love it," Rigo said simply.

"I think…you're supposed to," Amili answered, without really knowing what she meant. But she took the chalice, went back to the lift, and placed it in the sack.

The kids finished gathering a few more pieces for their collection, but their interest in the chore had waned. Nothing else in the room matched the chalice in its splendor, and each of them made a point, each time they went to place something else in the bag, to open it wide enough so they could have another look. The only thing that brought them slightly back to reality was when Amili found a length of thick, tensile rope on the ground beside a pile of loot. The rope, made of white and gold threads woven together into a magnificent ivory pattern, was a godsend.

"We can use this to climb back down to the main floor. And we can lower the bag down too," Amili said, with visible relief.

"Oh, that's _great_," Rigo agreed. "To tell you the truth, I didn't know how we were doing that. I figured we were just gonna throw all this stuff over the side."

The kids both laughed about it, grateful that a solution to their problem had presented itself. It wasn't long before they decided the sack had reached its maximum weight, and that they were tired and ready to make for camp. They had spent several hours in the temple at this point, exerting energy and not taking any water. It was time to call it quits.

The lift functioned to return them to the higher floors. They then trudged along, back to where they had come from, Rigo taking responsibility for the heavy sack.

They tied off the rope on the spiral rail, and were able to make it close enough to the bottom that they could untie the bag, dropping it the rest of the way, and jump off themselves. Amili had a bit of a hard time with this, her wounded arm still causing some pain, but she managed and before long both were on their way back to the entrance over the makeshift bridges they had built earlier.

"We're gonna have to find that river tomorrow morning," Amili said. "Refill our water skins before we start back. I think we might still have enough meat for the trip though, if we ration it out."

"I am _so_ sick and tired of pork," Rigo whined.

"Yeah, well, if you see a chicken or a goat or something along the way, will you let me know?"

They climbed the stairwell out into the waning daylight in good spirits, the return journey clear in their minds. They both thought of the success and happiness they would get upon returning home, and the cozy, starlit nights they would share on the way there. All in all, this adventure had turned out better than either of them could have hoped.

But as they crested that final staircase, it suddenly became clear that their streak of good luck had finally, and tragically, worn out.

They stepped out into the sunset, and the sight they expected would greet them, that of their camel and their simple campsite and the abandoned ruins beyond, wasn't there. What they saw instead was an army of thirty Gerudo warriors lined up around the entryway. Most of them had longbows trained on them the instant they stumbled out into the light.

Rigo and Amili stopped, shocked and disbelieving. They'd been followed? How was it possible? They'd been so careful, at least, Rigo thought they had. He'd lit no fires before finding the oasis, made sure they'd followed Pureet's instructions to the letter.

He saw her then, standing behind the archers. Pureet stood tall over the archers, the expression on her face torn and devastated. Beside her, stood another, smaller woman, the one who must have been responsible.

The other figure was dressed in a tunic of ceremonial white. Her hair was decorated with matching white silk, and her eyes and forehead adorned by a delicate and intricate golden tiara and facemask, inset with lines of red rubies and garnets. Behind the mask, the eyes burned a hole through Rigo, lit by the fire of their amusement and arrogance and general air of superiority. Though the tiara hid the other details of her face, Rigo knew who she was. The mask and garb were, after all, the mantle of the Stewardess of Gerudo. There could therefore only be one person underneath.

"Sooru," he growled.


	16. Temple and Tomb

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 16: Temple and Tomb  
**By, Frank Hunter

The masked figure stood behind her row of soldiers and stared back at Rigo. She managed to look mildly content even through the mask, pleased with the state of the situation around her.

"Ahh," Sooru sighed, drawing out the word into the air. It lingered, as though she had no sense of hurry or urgency, as though she were prepared to stay put with her firing squad all day.

"It seems my suspicions were correct, yes Pureet? Prince Rigo," she acknowledged him, bowing her arm in a gesture of mock respect. "It is a pleasure to meet with you again. Albeit in such an…unconventional place."

"What…what are you _doing_ here?" Rigo asked, unsure himself whether he was playing dumb or just legitimately dumbfounded. He hadn't, in a million years, expected to be faced with this. Not yet.

"Looking out for the best interests of Gerudo, of course. As is my charge. My _prince_." The final word came as though it were from a desert cobra. It was packed to the brim with venom, and Rigo worked to hide his own trembling. He'd been in trouble before, he was almost _known_ for it back home. But never had he been in the sights of a person so powerful, so important.

"Word reached me, now a fortnight ago, that our guard at the stable had been brutally attacked and the stable robbed of one of our precious camels. _That_ camel, if I understood correctly." She gestured to her side where Rigo and Amili had been maintaining their small campsite, and where their camel was now sitting and obliviously chewing on scraps of feed.

"I'd have been content enough to attribute the theft to young miscreants from Jirin. I even prepared to approach the Jirin with our accusation when, on the tail of that theft, my advisor informed me that several pieces of gear were missing from the tribal armory." She looked over her shoulder at Pureet, and Rigo thought he could still see some of the same animosity in her glare. Did Sooru know Pureet had helped him? Did she suspect?

"From there, it was only a matter of time before you were declared missing by your grandmother." She turned to Amili. "And _your_ mother. Which reminds me." She gestured to the Gerudo guard nearest the door. "Guard, please secure the young lady."

The Gerudo soldier lowered her bow and with all the swiftness of military muscle, glided up the stairs and grabbed Amili by the arm before she knew how to react.

"Hey!" Amili protested. She tried to resist but wasn't strong enough to fight against the guard. She was taken unceremoniously, all but _dragged,_ back down behind the line of soldiers, toward the campsite. "Let go of me!"

"Get off her!" Rigo yelled and made to move after her, but as he took a step and reached for his new sword, he _heard_ more than _saw_ the bows of the guardswomen tense up. They were ready to shoot if he gave even the least bit of reason for it.

_Easy, kid,_ said the spirit of Nabooru in his head. _Play this smart. Be calm._

Rigo latched on to her voice. It helped anchor him in this moment of unreality. He did step back to the top of the stairs and forced himself to be calm, to listen to Nabooru. _Okay, I'm calm,_ he thought at her desperately. He had no idea how to cope with this situation, or how to fight if it came to that. He was aware of the danger he was in. If Sooru was, as he'd been led to believe, dedicated to holding the crown, she could just kill him here, at this forsaken temple, and no one would ever know. The soldiers were obviously all her own loyal people. There would be no other witnesses.

_Will you tell me what to do? _he asked the spirit._ Can you help us get out of this?_

_I'll tell you what to do,_ Nabooru said. _Just stay calm._

"I have great respect for your mother, child," Sooru said to Amili as the girl passed her by. "I promised her I'd bring you home alive and well, and I keep my promises." She turned to another soldier and said, "Procure his things."

Two more of the guardswomen stepped up the stairs and moved to take the bag of treasure and the weapons Rigo had strapped to his person. He prepared to defend himself, but was stopped again.

_Let them have it,_ Nabooru said sensibly. _If you fight now, you'll only get yourself killed. Live for now, fight later._

The items were snatched up and taken back down the stairs. The guardswomen brought them before Sooru and left them at her feet, returning to their vigilant places in the line. Rigo couldn't help but cringe as Sooru took up the curved sword he had chosen for himself, fingered the hilt and admired the blade. It didn't belong to her. It was _his_.

"This, I think, is not the item taken from the armory," she said. "Pureet?"

"No," Pureet said with little more than a glance at the weapon.

"No," Sooru repeated. "But it is quite an attractive piece." She tied the sword onto her own belt with absolutely no sense of haste. Then, she gestured at the velvet bag and looked back at Rigo. "Is the missing equipment in here, my prince? You should be aware, if we cannot recover what was taken, the consequences may be…severe for the thief in question."

_She's toying with you,_ Nabooru said. _Don't rise to it. Don't say anything._

Sooru lifted the sack of treasure up onto the guardrail of the stairwell, and began riling through it. "Hmm," she sighed thoughtfully as she pulled out some of the jewelry from the bottom. "Some beautiful objects, no doubt. All the property of the Sand Goddess, I would assume. Your cannibalistic thievery is a truly unfortunate trend, Rigo. _Truly_ unfortunate. You seal your own fate, and you shame the name of the Great Ganondorf, in whose footsteps…you…walk…?" She trailed off in the middle of her rant. "What's this?"

Rigo clenched his fist. He knew what she would have found before she pulled it from the sack. There was only one piece that could have that effect. It was the chalice.

Sooru held it up and looked it over for a second in awe before her eyes. As she did, the color in her cheeks, at least the parts of them Rigo could see around the mask, drained, and the Stewardess went stark white. She frantically set the relic down on the guardrail and took several steps back from it, scrambling to get away but still unable to tear her eyes from it. "Dear Goddess," she whispered as she examined it. The sapphires inset into the design caught the light of the setting sun, making the piece even livelier than it had been inside the vault. Some of the guardswomen also caught sight of the chalice, and Rigo noticed their eyes turning from him to admire the cup. The soldier now closest to him was not paying attention.

_They're distracted! _he thought to Nabooru. _This is my chance, I've gotta get a weapon._

She was ready with her answer before he could move. Think_ kid. You won't even get the arrows with it, and where are you gonna go? There's nowhere to run. I told you to be calm._

_But…_

_Be calm! _she instructed, and Rigo shook again at her tone. He, in his fright, had thought he had cobbled together at least _something _of a plan, but any question of it fell apart in time for Sooru to regard him again.

"This can't be," Sooru said. "This is…the _Chalice of Nayru_?" She posed it to him as a question, which of course took him off guard because he knew nothing about the cup apart from its appearance.

"Huh?" Rigo answered.

The name of Nayru did, however, have meaning for Nabooru, who responded with dawning recognition. _Oh. Oh, no. Oh damn._

_What? _Rigo thought back at Nabooru, her startled response feeding his panic. _What is it? What's Nayru?_

"Where did you get this?" Sooru demanded.

"Huh?" he repeated again. His voice cracked

"Don't feign _ignorance_ you little cur," Sooru spit at him with all the authority she could muster. It was substantial. "_Where_ did you find the Chalice?!"

The question was so stupid to Rigo he almost didn't understand it. Didn't she know where the treasure was taken from? Hadn't she called him on it not a moment earlier?

"Inside," he said. "In the temple."

_We need to get that back right now,_ Nabooru said with resolve.

_What the hell are you talking about? _Rigo demanded. This change in attitude made no sense.

_Give me control,_ she said._ You have to give me control now, or they'll get away with it. I'll fight them off, I swear to you. They can't take that chalice!_

_You said we'd die if we fought now!_

_It would be worth it! _Nabooru exclaimed. Rigo's fear was rising. Something was culminating here, something that was bigger than him and that he didn't quite understand.

_Give me control! _Nabooru demanded.

_No!_ Rigo exclaimed.

Sooru mused, unaware of the struggle Rigo fought in his own head. "They must never have even known they had it. Ganondorf never knew," She stared into Rigo and realization dawned in her eyes. "_You _don't know, do you?"

"Know what!?" he exclaimed, his frustration coming to a head.

Sooru laughed, a loud, long, and crackling laugh, and there was still nothing he could do about it. He stood there before Sooru's army, listening to the stewardess delighting at his misfortune, mentally fighting off the spirit of Nabooru who would not stop insisting at taking hold of his body again, and pleading at Amili, tucked away behind the soldiers, who also was powerless to do anything.

"Rigo, Rigo," Sooru said when she came back to herself. "You know, I had half a mind to just kill you here and be done with it. But now…now I _owe_ you. A gift like this could do wonders. I could bring the Gerudo back here, to our old home. I could _overthrow_ the _Hylians_. I could do _everything_ that Ganondorf couldn't, and it's all thanks to this. And to _you_." She sneered at him. "Maybe you'd have made a formidable king after all."

Rigo snarled back at her. "I _am_ the king!"

"Of course you are, your _highness_," she said, amused. "Pureet. Take him. Put him inside."

Pureet glanced at the Stewardess, but at first didn't move from beside her. "You said you would not kill him."

"And I won't," Sooru said shortly. "He can go in alive. My thanks to him for this wonderful present. Though I can't say the same for _you_ if you are unable to follow my simple orders and redeem yourself. Now, put. Him. Inside."

Rigo saw the resignation settle into Pureet's shoulders as she slumped and stepped forward, moving toward him up the stairs. She passed between the archers and Rigo saw his fate coming, slowly and grudgingly, with each passing step of his old friend and teacher.

"Don't do this!" he said to Pureet. "I'm the King of Gerudo!"

He looked out over the guardswomen, his throat going dry, and shouted at the top of his lungs. "I'm the king!"

_Give me control!_ Nabooru screamed inside his head. _GIVE ME CONTROL!_

Not one of the soldiers budged or showed any sign of reservation. The only response he did get was from Amili, whose tears streamed down from her eyes as she screamed his name at him from where she was held.

"RIGO!"

Pureet grabbed him by the folds of his tunic, beneath his black cloak, and pushed him backward, back inside the doorway of the temple and into the corridor. His feet shuffled to keep up. "I am sorry," Pureet said to him quietly as she took hold of him. "I truly did not think she would come here."

"Help me," he pleaded with her, clutching at her hands, still hoping, trying to pull her off. "Don't do it, please! I'm the king!"

"Yes," she said. "I have not forgotten."

Rigo froze. He could have sworn he saw something in her eye at that moment, some glint of cleverness or conspiracy. But before he could think on it, or ask, or make a move of his own, she shoved him backward and he fell onto the stairwell, rolling down several stairs and banging himself up as he went.

As he came to rest near the bottom, blood flowed into his eye from a gash in his forehead. He groaned, and got to his hands and knees. He tried for his feet but didn't manage to get them beneath him the first time. At the doorway, he glimpsed the shadow of Pureet disappearing from the entryway. As she did, Rigo heard from the outside, muffled, the voice of Sooru give one final directive to her army.

"Fire."

In the intensity of the confrontation, Rigo had not noticed that half of the arrows that were aimed at him were not tipped with arrowheads, but with small bags filled with explosive powder. At Sooru's command, the guardswomen lit the wicks on these arrowheads and fired them directly at the old stone positioned over the entryway to the temple. They impacted at once, and the explosion was almost enough to put Rigo down on his back again. He covered his ears, and as the shockwave came down the corridor, instinctively fell to a crouch, into a fetal position to protect himself from the oncoming sound and dust.

When the initial impact ended, Rigo got up and steadied his legs as quickly as he was able. He ran back up the stairs, but where once there was daylight and access to the outside, now there was just a pile of heavy, immovable stone. He was barricaded inside the temple.

"No!" he yelled as he fruitlessly pounded and shoved on the pile of rubble. "Amili! AMILI!"

But no one came to help him. The last thing he heard from the outside was his own name, "Rigo!" as Amili called out to him over and over as loud and desperately as she could, until this, too, fell silent. Rigo, broken, bloodied, and in tears, was left alone.


	17. Survival

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 17: Survival  
**By, Frank Hunter

_You don't have the slightest inkling of what you've allowed to happen._

"Shut up," Rigo uttered, out loud now, and why not? Who was there to hear him anyway? What did it matter if he was crazy or if there really was a lingering spirit who'd taken residence in his head?

_That cup is going to create a war, _Nabooru insisted.

"Shut up, shut up!" he shouted. "Amili!"

Though the stones over the doorway had done a thorough job of collapsing in on themselves, there was a tiny space on the right side, just over Rigo's head, where he could still see the sunlight shining in. The hole must have been no larger than the apple he had stolen all those weeks ago, and it was too high up to peak through, but he tried. The maddening thing about it is that the sunlight sparked in him a flicker of hope. He couldn't help it. It was a reminder that there _was_ an outside, and that Amili was out there somewhere, and if he could just get there then _maybe_ he could do something.

He still wore the silver gauntlets on his wrists. Trying to recall the power he felt course through his arms up above the vault, he pressed his palms against the rubble and gave the best push his tired body could muster. He drove his legs into the ground and put his back into it. "Move!" he yelled. But it was no use. He felt no magic, and the stones did not give way. The gloves were either drained of their power, or the magic just refused to work toward a means other than the one for which they were designed.

_You about done?_ Nabooru asked.

"No!" he cried. "For Goddess's sake, no, she's out there, and I've gotta save her. I can't let Sooru take her. I can't…"

Rigo slumped against the rubble and collapsed to his knees in a new fit of tears and guttural choking. He thought of his grandmother telling him not to be so emotional. Goddess, his grandmother. He would never see her again, never get to say goodbye. She would live out the rest of her days alone, believing whatever lies Sooru made up about him. That he was a thief, a traitor, and that he was dead in the desert.

Though the death part would be a reality before long.

Though the kids had both eaten a bit of dried pork throughout their explorations as rationed, it had been the better part of the day since Rigo had taken any water. The skins were too heavy to carry with them, and they weren't expecting to be in the temple so long. As he sat there his body began to notice the heat and thirst, and understood that if he stayed, he wouldn't need skeletons or scorpions to kill him.

"Another way," he mumbled. He struggled and got back to his feet. "There's gotta be another way out. Nabooru? Right?"

_Are you talking to me now?_

"Just tell me! Is there, like, a back door? Or an underground passage?"

_A back door? Inside the temple?_

Rigo let himself get himself hopeful. "Yeah?"

_No, _Nabooru said simply. _And even if there was, do you actually _like_ the idea of digging deeper into this place unarmed?_

Rigo deflated. "What about the roof? We could climb down from there too."

_That's a heck of a fall, kid, and you're not gonna find a rope long enough for the climb._

"So what then? Do we just stay in here and die?!"

_Not sure where you're getting this 'we' stuff from. I'm already dead,_ she said facetiously.

Rigo scowled and turned back to try and climb up to the little hole to the outside again. As he pulled himself up he slipped on some gravel and dropped back down to the floor, accomplishing nothing.

_But no,_ Nabooru added. _I don't think you're gonna die._

"What do you mean?" Rigo asked.

_I think you've got a way out._

"What is it?" Rigo prodded. His hope was starting to build up again. There might be an escape? Was she telling the truth?

_I'll tell you, don't worry. But understand, kid. You can't actually _do _it yet. If you bust outta here and that army's still outside, they're just gonna kill you. You won't accomplish anything._

"I thought you were itching to fight 'em just a few minutes ago."

_Well, maybe. Or maybe I wasn't thinking completely clearly at the time. I'll admit it wasn't my brightest idea. Don't suppose you wanna put me in charge of things now though? I have some better ideas now. _

Rigo crossed his arms and waited.

_Can't blame me for asking._

"Tell me how we're getting outta here," he said.

_Well, _Nabooru said, _I think that entirely depends._

"On what?" Rigo asked.

_On what the big woman put in your pocket._

He paused for a moment. "Huh?"

_The tall one, the attendant. The one who grabbed you,_ Nabooru said. _She didn't need to reach her hand under your cloak to do it. I know sleight of hand when I see it, kid. I was pretty good at it myself when I was alive. What'd she give you?_

"Pureet?" Rigo asked, as he patted his chest under his black cloak. Sure enough there was a bulge in one of the folds of the tunic, something there that hadn't been before and that he hadn't noticed. Something that wasn't his. He reached his hand into the pocket and pulled it out. It was a small tightly wrapped package made of brown canvas. Inside the canvas were tiny grains of a black substance. It was similar to sand but of a chalky consistency distinctly different from the coarseness of the desert surface.

_Ah,_ Nabooru said. _Blasting powder. It must be the stuff they brought the doorway down with._

Rigo eyed it with wonder. Pureet had given it to him? Did that mean she was still on his side? Still wanted to help him? He knew she hadn't had a choice about throwing him into the temple; Sooru would have killed her on the spot if she didn't obey. But if Sooru was really planning to go back to the pueblo and declare him dead and gone, this was more than just an act of defiance. This would be considered open rebellion, treason, if she ever found out. Why would Pureet risk so much?

It didn't seem worth it. Rigo had no idea what would happen to _him_ if he ever got back to the pueblo. Would the people even _want_ him back if Sooru had already become the undisputed leader? If she was such a good Stewardess, as Amili's mother had said, maybe they'd all just be happy he was gone. Maybe going back would be like walking into a trap. Saving his life seemed like a fruitless effort.

These were all things he would need to sort out later though, assuming he survived. He would not leave Amili to Sooru. Nor would he leave her Chalice. He couldn't, if it was as dangerous as Sooru and Nabooru both seemed to think it was.

His eyes wandered back up to the little hole at the top of the rubble.

_I think if you stick the blasting powder into that opening and ignite it, you might end up with something big enough to wedge through,_ Nabooru said.

Rigo nodded. "I got it," he said. "How long do you wanna wait until it's safe to blow it?"

_I'd say tomorrow at least,_ Nabooru said.

Rigo swallowed and felt his throat pinch as he did. "I don't think I can wait that long," he told her.

_Why? Oh,_ Nabooru said, grasping the problem immediately. _Kid, you've gotta at least take a couple of hours or it's too much of a risk. Do you think you can last that long?_

"Yeah," Rigo nodded. "Yeah, I can try."

_If you go back and get some of those planks you put over the quicksand, you might be able to make a little ramp for yourself to see out the hole. So you can at least make sure the army's not _right_ there when you make a break for it._

That was a fair idea, and it was something to keep him busy, so Rigo decided to go back down the stairs and pull some of the planks as Nabooru suggested. It was harder work than he'd anticipated. Carrying the boards _down_ the stairs with Amili was nothing compared to dragging them _up_ by himself, but he worked with resolve. It was better to have something to do.

Besides, it gave him the chance to ask Nabooru a few questions.

"Can you tell me about the Chalice?" he grunted as he pulled one of the more sturdy boards up and over the stairwell.

_What do you want to know?_

"For starters, why did Sooru think that she could use it to take over Hyrule?"

Nabooru considered. _How much do you know about Hylian mythology?_

"Not much," Rigo admitted.

_Well, the short version is that Hyrule was created by three goddesses. You had Din, the goddess of power, who made the earth; Farore, the goddess of life, who made the creatures on it; and Nayru, the goddess of wisdom, who created the laws living creatures would follow._

"The Gerudo priestesses never said anything like that," Rigo interrupted. "I always learned that the Sand Goddess created the living world from the desert of time. She rules everything from there, watching over the Gerudo, the chosen who live closest to her, and the other weaker races, who can't live in the heat and the sun."

_Kid, every culture has its own legends. The trouble about the Hylian ones is they have a habit of coming true. I'm sure you've heard of the Triforce._

"The golden triangles?"

_That's right. The Triforce was said to have been set by the goddesses at the place where they finally left this world. Everyone thought that was just a story, too. But then your predecessor, Ganondorf, found it. The power he would have had if he'd gotten all three triangles might have made him into a god. But two of the pieces passed on to others. One went to the Hylian princess, Zelda, and the other to Link, the Hero of Time. Together, the two of them were more powerful than Ganondorf and his single triangle, and they were able to banish him from Hyrule and bring the world peace._

"This all sounds like Hylian legend, too."

_No kid, this is fact. I lived it. The Sages helped to bind the seal and put and end to everything._

"Something I still can't believe you did," Rigo muttered.

_Rigo, trust me when I tell you I understand. I was Gerudo, too. I know the kind of honor that comes with being a part of the tribe. And given what just happened outside, you gotta feel a little sore about the idea of treachery. But reality was reality. The man was power-hungry, and careless, and egocentric, and cruel. He needed to be stopped, for the good of everyone._

"Whatever," Rigo said. He had never been the most devout believer in the influence of Ganondorf, but he felt a distinct difference between questioning his predecessor's actions in the solitude of his home and actually _talking_ with the traitor who helped bring him down.

"So how does the Chalice tie into it all?" he asked, coming back to the subject at hand.

_It's said that when the Triforce was first hidden, the Hero also helped the goddesses hide away other relics, including a fountain whose waters would bring eternal life. The fountain was something crafted by Nayru which _she _thought would help people._

"It would turn you into a god too?"

_Sure, maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it would just make you run super fast for half an hour and get hungry. Who knows? Whatever it did, people used to fight over it. They'd _kill_ over it. When it was finally sealed away, it's said Nayru filled one chalice, _that_ chalice, and gave it to the Hero as a reward. The chalice, filled with the Waters of Nayru, would still bring power to whoever drank from it._

"But the chalice _was_ empty when Amili and I found it," Rigo pointed out.

_That didn't really seem to dissuade the Stewardess back there, did it? Whether or not the Waters of Nayru are real, she believes in the legend. If that woman marches an army of Gerudo into Hyrule looking for the fountain, she's going to get hundreds, maybe thousands of people killed on both sides. If the Hylians win and discover that the Gerudo have survived, their backlash could bring them out into the desert. They might wipe out the whole tribe this time. The cup will bring nothing but death._

"How would it have even gotten here in the first place?"

_It must have been captured by a Gerudo war party at some point and brought as tribute to the Sand Goddess, along with everything else. Whoever sacrificed it into the coffers would not have realized what it was. Like you said, the Gerudo priestesses don't teach the Hylian legends. And the few priestesses allowed into the coffers in the days before weren't allowed to remove anything. It would have been safe in there for as long as the temple remained sealed._

Rigo sighed. "Damn," he said. What an incredible mess.

He thought of the possibilities of war, of soldiers coming to the pueblo and hurting his grandmother and Amili. The pain of his friends. The death of Gerudo. It was more than he could bear. Nabooru was right. The stakes were too high. Sooru needed to be stopped.

They continued to talk as Rigo dragged several more planks up the stairs to act as support in his ramp. He built it as he went, and as he returned downstairs for a final piece of wood, the thirst was beginning to get to him. He paused as he passed over their first makeshift bridge and just looked down at the shifting, rippling surface beneath him.

"Hey. Can you drink quicksand?" Rigo asked, slightly delirious.

Nabooru sighed. _Kid, go back to the doorway and sit down. Just rest until it's time to go, okay?_

"Yeah, okay," he said, and he did.

Time passed slowly, and it was too hot for any real recovery. Sweat just beaded on Rigo's forehead and ran down his skin while he waited for the moment, the proper time, when he would be able to leave. It couldn't come soon enough.


	18. Out of the Frying Pan

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 18: Out of the Frying Pan  
**By, Frank Hunter

When the time was right, or at least when Nabooru deemed that enough time had passed, Rigo stepped up on the ramp, placed the small package into the peephole, and struck his flint beside it. On his third try, a spark flew from the stone, caught in the side of the package, and the fabric began to slowly ignite.

_Go! _Nabooru yelled. _Get down the stairs, put some wall between you and it!_

Rigo obeyed. There was little else he could do at this point. Having gone almost a full day without water in the hot, dry place, even his Gerudo nature was no longer protecting him from the fatigue and delirium that came with heat exhaustion.

He'd made it most of the way down the stairs when the powder caught and exploded in a new wave of shock and sound. This time, unsteady on his feet as he already was, the shockwave caught Rigo at his back and pushed as surely as Pureet had done hours before. He lost his footing and, for the second time, took a tumble down the stone stairs, ending up splayed at the bottom.

"Oof!" he grunted as he hit, face first, before the pool of viscous quicksand below. He slowly got his hands below him and pushed himself back to his knees. Was he bleeding again? He couldn't really tell. He hoped not.

His vision was blurring somewhat before him, drifting in and out of doubles and keeping out of focus. He knew that his condition was serious, but couldn't do anything about it, couldn't even encourage his body to get up and get moving with any real speed. It was then he saw a scorpion come up, out of the quicksand. This one was smaller than the one from earlier, but it looked vicious, like it was covered in points as sharp and deadly as fishhooks.

Another came up from the sand. Then another. Then another. They were streaming toward him from all directions, a veritable swarm of nasty-looking creatures, when, finally, he saw the shaft of an arrow raise up from the sand before him and the first arachnid, the one Amili had skewered, rose up. It stood on its back legs reaching out toward him with its claws. The arrow still pierced it straight through its back, but it didn't seem to notice or care that it should not have been able to walk. That it should have been dead.

"_There he issss," _the scorpion hissed at its legion of companions. _"There isss the brute who murdered meeeee. Kill. Kill!"_

"No," Rigo said. "No, it wasn't me!" He shook his head unbelieving and leaned bac, away from the vermin. When he opened his eyes, the bugs were gone and he was again alone in the chamber.

His heart was beating in his chest like kettledrum. Were hallucinations a symptom of dehydration? He didn't remember. Was any of this real?

_…get moving! What are you doing? Get up! Get up and get out of here!_

There was a voice yelling at him in his head. Was it real? You're not supposed to listen to voices in your head. They mean you're going mad. What was he doing here, anyway?

_Rigo! You can't stay here. The Stewardess could be back at any time!_

Stewardess? It meant something. There was whiteness there, a mask. The Stewardess. There was a name, he thought. Sooru.

Sooru?

Sooru!

In a rush it came back to him. Sooru had taken Amili. She'd tried to kill him. He had to get out of here.

"Nabooru?" he asked, dazed.

_Yes! I'm here, I'm ready. Get out of here, kid. There's a hole in the door! Go!_

"The door?" Right! The explosion. He was going to get out of here.

Rigo pushed himself to his feet and stumbled back up the stairs. At the top, there was now silver moonlight shining in through a parting in the boulders at the top-right of the clutter. The hole looked big enough, sure. He'd have to get up to it though. He looked around the ground for something to help. The ramp he'd made had been blown to pieces in the explosion. It would be useless.

"I've gotta rebuild my ramp," he slurred out loud.

_What? _Nabooru asked. _No! Just climb. You can reach._

Climb? It sounded familiar. Yeah, he could get up there. He tried to set his arm in the newly charred and opened hole, but ugh. It was so incredibly heavy, and didn't want to lift. He tried to pull himself up. He was just so tired.

_Kid, you can rest soon. I promise. But you've gotta go now. Do it for Amili!_

"Do it for Amili," Rigo repeated.

_Right!_ Nabooru agreed. _You gotta get outta here for her. Just picture her face, and do what I say. Can you do that?_

"Yeah," Rigo said. "Yeah. For Amili.

_Climb! _she said. Rigo did.

Amili was in danger. He knew she was. The voice said she was. And all he had to do was listen to it, and she'd be okay. He could do that.

With some exertion he got himself up into the hole, wiggled his body through, and dropped out on the other side. He landed on the stone floor undramatically and flatly, then pushed back to his feet. The breeze felt so good. The cold night air was invigorating. It caressed his cheek, woke up his brain. He could think more clearly, if only a little.

_Clear out, through the ruins. Go straight._

"I need…my supplies," Rigo said. "Water."

_They took everything, kid. There's nothing for you. Just go._

He surveyed the area and found the remains of his little campfire. Nabooru was right. There was nothing there. No water skins, no bow. No camel.

Fine. He placed one foot ahead of the other and started down the stairs. Straight through the ruins. That's what the voice said.

"How…" he mumbled as he went. "How do I…make it…back…to Jirin?"

_You can't go into the desert right now,_ Nabooru said sensibly.

"Then where…?"

_You'll go into Hyrule. Rest and resupply._

Rigo grunted and kept trudging. He knew there were reasons he shouldn't go there, but for the life of him he couldn't remember what they were. As he crossed the ruins he tried, but he was distracted. So distracted.

"It's c…cold…here."

_Don't worry about them. They won't bother you. Just walk._

The spirits, he remembered. Rigo wondered if Nabooru could see them. He squinted at the darkness, but of course he couldn't. What were they? Who had they been?

Who knew?

As he reached the end of the ruins, Nabooru instructed him to turn left, and he did. The sand now stretched out before him as it had so many nights before on their ride to the temple, but he could hear a sound from ahead. He'd heard it more faintly on the nights they'd slept in front of the temple, but it was growing louder as he kept walking. It was water.

_Lake Hylia is just ahead. Just keep going_

He listened, but the recovery he'd felt at the cool breeze was beginning to wane and his exhaustion was again setting in. The sound of water drove him, though, as his vision again blurred. He knew it would fix him and make him feel better. He licked his lips with his dry tongue and just pushed onward.

The wind was at his front now, pressing against him as though it willed him away from Hyrule. It was a force to be reckoned with in Rigo's weakened state, and it blew and howled and dried out his eyes as he fought against it. As he was hit by bursts of sand and air, he blinked, trying as best he could to clear his vision and see something, anything. After one particularly trying bout, he did.

Rigo cleared a grain of sand from his eye and turned. Before him stood a figure. The figure was black, blurry in the distance, but standing there immovable in the desert. Rigo wondered immediately if the person could help him. Did they have water? Was there a place Rigo could sleep?

He got his feet working again and trudged onward, closer and closer to the shape in the desert. As he did, the blur faded and became gradually clearer. The person was tall, massive even, with broad shoulders. A man, obviously. He wore black armor with brown leather strewn about in places. There was a cape flowing from his back, and reams of orange hair held in reams through a decorative golden headdress. He looked almost…Gerudo. He looked almost like…

"No!" Rigo cried out as recognition dawned on him. He knew the man. It would be impossible for him not to. He had seen his portrait on tapestries and in illustrations back home. It was a face that was feared and respected and revered the world over.

Before him, in the desert wastes at the end of the world, Ganondorf, the King of Gerudo, stood towering over him.

"Not you!" Rigo shouted. He tried to backpedal but lost his footing and fell backward onto his rear. It was all he could do to sit in the sand, eyes wide with fear.

"Pathetic," Ganondorf said from where he stood. He made no move to come closer to Rigo, just stared into him with contempt. The two regarded each other from a distance, the past and the future of the Gerudo tribe.

"You call yourself _king_?" Ganondorf asked.

"Yes," Rigo said, monosyllabically. "Yes."

"You call yourself King," Ganondorf repeated. "You allow an insolent, insignificant subject to rob you of your crown. You are weak. You do nothing."

"Don't kill me," Rigo begged.

"The King of Gerudo," Ganondorf said. "Is not a being to be trifled with. The King is more than just a man. The King is true power embodied. You are not this."

Rigo stared at him across the desert. The King of Thieves' eyes burned like orange coals in the dark of the desert.

"_I _am the King. Look at me!" Ganondorf gloated. "And the King has a role to play in history. I will subdue the Gerudo until all bow before me. Those who do not kneel shall be removed by pain of steel. I will march our armies across the desert and raze Hyrule Castle. The survivors of the Royal Family will scream and choke helplessly inside as it burns. I will turn every man, woman, and child of Hylian descent to ash, and _only_ _then_ will the true order of Hyrule take its form. The world will be shaped by the actions of the King, and the King shall rule it all beneath his heel.

"This is the destiny of the King of Gerudo," Ganondorf said. "And the King must follow his destiny."

"No," Rigo whispered. "That's not the way."

"Then you," Ganondorf said, "are not fit for the crown."

The King of Thieves raised his hand, palm toward Rigo, and the same fire that was in his eyes began glowing between his fingers. The energy coalesced into a deadly ball of magical fire and Rigo saw his death materialize before his eyes. It was seconds away.

"NO!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, and clutched his head in his arms, turning his back to Ganondorf. He squealed and whimpered and lay there. And nothing happened. A moment passed, and still there was nothing, and another moment and he risked peeking out over the sands.

There was nobody. Ganondorf was gone.

Rigo shivered and sat for a moment before his mind caught up with him. When it did, he lost control. He screamed and screamed and pounded his fists into the sand over and over again. Too much. This was too much. If this kept up, it wouldn't be long before the hallucinations scared him literally to death. It was unfair, he thought, for a child like him to have to deal with all this. This wasn't how life should have been. It was supposed to be easier. Didn't the Sand Goddess know that?

As he thought this, a ball of brilliant light went soaring by his head. He didn't even bother to look at it. What could it be now? A Forest Fairy? Or maybe the Moon just dropping down to say hello? He couldn't take much more of this.

_Rigo!_ he heard Nabooru shout. At least, he thought he did.

"I'm seeing things, Nabooru," he slurred at her. "I'm seeing things that aren't there."

_No, you're not! _she yelled back. _Run!_

"Huh?" Rigo asked. As he did, another blazing light flew by his head. Rigo followed this one. It stayed lit where it hit the sand in front of him, as though it were on fire. Actually, that's exactly what it was. It was a fire, with a thin shaft of wood sticking out from it. An arrow?

He looked back behind him and, against the moonlight, vaguely saw the outlines of two Gerudo scouts galloping toward him on camelback. They each had another flaming arrow loaded into their respective bows, burning with fire that would light him up in the dark even if they missed, so their next shots would be easier.

_RUN!_

Rigo listened. He got to his feet and put the rest of his energy into the fastest sprint he could manage, to the east, away from the riders. They were closing the distance, but they'd taken their first shots too soon. He had seen them coming before they were in ideal range, and so he was able to move.

Arrows continued flying past him. One grazed him on the shoulder, but thankfully didn't stick. He barely felt the pain through the shroud of his delirium. The sand moved under his feet, and he wasn't dead yet. He wasn't dead yet. That was the idea to latch onto. As long as he was still alive, things could be fixed.

Moving at top speed with his life on the line, he didn't hear it in time when Nabooru next spoke. _Whoa! _she said._ Wait! Wait!_

By the time the words coalesced, it was already too late. Rigo had run straight over what was apparently the end of the desert and took his final step onto thin air. His body twisted with his momentum and he didn't even have a hope of grabbing onto anything to stop his fall. There was nothing to grab.

As he fell over the side of the cliff face, the sound of running water was amplified further, and he could see the silver moonlight reflecting off the liquid surface of a lake, as far as he could tell, miles below him. The sensation of gravity set in the pit of his stomach and he began to plummet, but instead of fear, his tired body felt only relief. Just one single thought passed through his mind as he fell.

_Oh, good,_ he thought. _I'm thirsty._


	19. The Fall

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 19: The Fall  
**By, Frank Hunter

There was nothing at all to interfere with Rigo's plunge off the cliff. The fall lasted only for a brief moment, but that moment seemed to draw out into time like a thread pulled from a piece of cloth. Rigo felt as though he were flying. It was a beautiful sensation. The wind pushed at him to keep him afloat, and he spread his arms like a bird to soar on the thermals.

When time finally pressed forward, his body slammed hard against the surface of the lake. Cold, fresh water filled every orifice and he gasped, inhaling a gulp of water. His arm slammed against an unfortunately placed rock and there was a snap, but Rigo was so deep into shock and beyond pain that he only observed this in a detached, curious way. Besides, he had bigger problems.

He kicked and drew for the surface to get a lungful of precious air. The snappy arm for some reason refused to help get him there, and he tried to yell at it, to tell it to work, but no sound would come out under the water.

When he finally breached the surface he was choking and sputtering and spitting up water. His hair was soaked through and clinging to his head, and he was heavy and confused, but still alive. Still alive.

Having had only minimal experience in the river at home, his swimming skills were not particularly advanced. But, he did have enough know-how to float in a resting position on his back, and so he did this as best he could with three working limbs. While floating there, he lowered his lips to the surface of the lake, and allowed himself to take big mouthfuls of precious water, swirling it around his tongue, swallowing, and repeating. It was heaven. He'd almost forgotten the feeling of cold water, and clarity began to return.

He looked up at the lip of the cliff he'd jumped from. It wasn't miles tall, but damn if it wasn't high. At the top now, he could see two specks of orange light hovering but not falling. The Gerudo guards who had chased him. Sooru must have heard his explosive escape after all. How close had it been to the end for him?

_Well,_ Nabooru said. _It was none too _graceful_, but I think you got away._

Rigo sighed in relief, and laid back, floating in the water. He was due to begin nursing an overwhelming amount of fatigue and stress, but he wasn't ready to take on that responsibility just yet. The current was drifting him along slowly, and he did his best to rest while it did, enjoying the cold of it all over his body. The orange lights at the top of the cliff disappeared, the guards apparently retreating back into the safety of the desert.

_Your arm's bleeding, by the way, _Nabooru pointed out.

"Yeah," Rigo sputtered. "I'll deal with it in a minute." He closed his eyes. Some of the pain was starting to come to him as his heart rate returned to normal and the initial shock wore off, but it hadn't surpassed his desire to rest yet. He'd wait until it did.

He found rest to be an effort in futility, though. Even so long as he could block the physical pain from overcoming him, the emotional baggage was still attached. He could see Amili's terrified eyes and the cocky smirk behind Sooru's mask. And the Chalice. _That_ he could see clear as day, it had so etched itself in his imagination. It may have saved his life, but it would cost the lives of far too many others if he didn't do something about it.

"How do we get back into the desert?" he sputtered.

Rigo heard only silence for a minute until the sound of an incredulous giggle came back to him. Then another. And then it erupted into a full-out fit. Nabooru was laughing at him.

_Kid, I think I like you. _she said around her laughter. _You're relentless, and goal-oriented, and just a little bit crazy._

"There's gotta be a quick way back up," Rigo said.

_I told you before, you've gotta recover some. You're gonna walk weeks through the desert, maybe take on an army single-handedly, with no food or water and…yeah, that looks like a broken arm. Sounds like a good idea?_

"It's all I can think about."

_That doesn't mean you've gotta do it stupid. A little planning goes a long way. They're gone already, so a couple days to pull yourself together won't make or break us._

Us? Rigo thought that was the first time he'd heard Nabooru refer to them collectively, together. It felt unusual to him, but he didn't mention it. She'd sworn to help him, and they would be together now until the task was done. As well as whatever mystery task it was that she wanted. He hadn't forgotten about that little promise.

_First thing's first, you should get out of the water and tend to that arm. I can teach you to sling it, if you don't know how._

"I got it," Rigo said, and flipped over onto his stomach to swim for the shore.

At some point, though, as he was floating through the water, the current had picked up significantly. He hadn't noticed, on his back with his eyes shut, but it had pulled him into a small tributary off the lake and kept pulling him downstream. This had the benefit of being narrower than the lake itself, but with water that was moving ever-faster every second.

Rigo tried to swim for the shore, but he found himself fighting against the current and kicking uselessly with the weight of his waterlogged cloth and leather gear still wrapped around him. Additionally, the one arm, which was now beginning to scream at him in pain as he tried to move it, could not be used for swimming at all. In short, all he managed to do more or less was flop around painfully in place.

_You know, you need to _swim_ to get out,_ Nabooru inserted.

"I understand that," Rigo said through clenched teeth.

_I'd suggest you get it done soon._

Rigo shot a look over his shoulder and found himself filled with dread. Up ahead, he could see the white water of rapids breaking around rocks and curves. This was about to become a bumpy ride.

"Crap!" he exclaimed. He started kicking harder, bracing himself against the pain as best he could, but it was too little too late. The water had picked up speed now, and Rigo was being carried into the current like a piece of driftwood. The first drop shook him, as the riverbed gave way and he went over a few short feet of waterfall. His leg hit against the rocky bottom, though his boot was, at least, helpful in protecting him against this kind of harm. He tried to remember what it is you're supposed to do in this situation.

_You really have zero survival instinct in that little brain of yours, don't you? _Nabooru said.

"Shove it," Rigo tried to respond, but instead he just gurgled up lake water. Rigo noted, if he didn't particularly _appreciate_, the irony that the water, the cool, cold answer to his prayers, had become such a danger in and of itself. He thought that the Sand Goddess or some other ethereal creature had to be having a hell of a laugh at his expense right about now.

_Get your feet forward,_ Nabooru said. _It's safer that way._

Rigo complied and flipped back onto his back, returning to the floating position he was in earlier. He didn't feel any safer.

_This can't go on forever, _Nabooru reassured quickly._ It'll have to end sooner or later. _

"Hopefully sooner," Rigo muttered. Another drop came in the riverbed and this time, as his body was thrown downward, his back hit against the jagged edge of riverbed. His garb again protected him from injury, but the jolt shot through his injury and caused a new wave of pain, one more searing than he'd felt yet, spike through what felt like every nerve in his body. His head buzzed and he immediately saw little stars dancing around his vision. He wouldn't be able to take much more of this. Hadn't he earned a break?

He tolerated the shaking and jostling as much as he could and the river carried onward for a period of time he had no way of judging. It seemed unfair to him that he should have to deal with this now, on the heels of everything else that had happened. But unfair was the extent of it. As prepared as he was becoming to face his seemingly inevitable death, the river would not kill him. It did not remain the force of nature it had been. Instead, it eventually flowed straight into a man-made channel.

Rigo's entire body slammed into something hard and unyielding and a fresh wave of pain sorted itself out before he could begin to rationalize what had happened. He was being pressed by the water up against a solid steel grate, inset into a white stone archway. The river had been diverted down this way, into a place that had been deliberately constructed.

"People," Rigo muttered. It must be people. And if there were people here, there was hope that he might get some help. Some rest.

The last of his strength was leaving him, drained by the onset of pain and the cumulative wear of everything that had gone on during this horrible, horrible day. Rigo took that last ounce of strength and grabbed onto the grate, pulling himself to the side of the channel one rung at a time. It was slow progress, but it was better than nothing, and at some point he found himself able to get a boot under him.

One step. Two. He was out of the water. The first light of the sun was glinting on the horizon, against a mountain with an odd gray halo of a cloud around its peak. Had he really been awake and moving for so long? Where was he?

The land around him was lush, a strange grass of emerald green that bent and crumpled as he walked on it. There were flowers and small animals of countless colors and varieties around him, sprinkled about through the field in which he now stood. The sound of the channel flowing behind him was a constant, it was the sound of blood that gave life to this strange new place, this land of water and earth alive and thriving like he'd never seen.

There was a stairwell constructed of white stone that led above the grating Rigo had hit. He forced his feet to continue their movements. He was so close now. Up the short flight of stairs, and onto a paved white pathway. There were buildings before him, towers of elegant construction that reminded him somehow of the Desert Temple in which he'd been imprisoned. All of it over a bridge and behind a wall, and so he made for the gate one grudging step at a time. He thought it was beautiful, but he couldn't prove it in the dim light and the foggy state of mind. _Later_, he thought. _I'll see it all later._

As he made it close to the gate, Rigo saw two guards standing watch beside the heavy wooden doors. They were clad in armor made of steel, painted and embellished with the crest of the triangles and the bird's wings. They were Hylians, then. Then this was, as he had expected, _known _really, Hyrule.

One of the guards caught sight of Rigo stumbling down the dark bridge toward him and gave a start. He pulled his sword from his belt. "Mars!" he shouted. "Mars, look!"

The other guard shook the boredom from his tired eyes and glanced down the bridge as well. "Sweet Din!" he exclaimed as he too caught sight of Rigo and pulled his weapon.

Rigo tried to call out to them, to tell them he wasn't a threat, that he came peacefully, but wasn't able to shout. Wasn't really even able to see clearly anymore. The sky was lightening, but his vision was darkening.

The guards ran down the roadway to meet him but did not come to his aid. They kept their distance back from him, their swords out in front of them, and an obvious nervousness in their posture.

"What are you doing here!?" the first guard shouted to him.

Rigo stopped walking and just watched them as best he was able, with his mouth open and head tilted to one side. What was he doing? Wasn't it obvious?

"P…please," he stammered. "Please. Help me."

The message across, Rigo's energy was finally expended. His legs gave out, and he collapsed into unconsciousness on the drawbridge, before the bewildered guardsmen.


	20. Hyrule

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 20: Hyrule  
**By, Frank Hunter

A full day went by before Rigo fully came around, but he had some short, broken memories of the missing time.

Someone, he assumed the guards who found him, had brought him into a nearby building. It was a stone building, and he felt perpetually cold despite the natural sunlight that shone in through a small, rectangular window high in the thick gray wall. He'd been placed on a small cot and covered with a slight, pale white blanket. His arm had been set in a sling and cast and was bound up to his breast. His clothes had been taken, replaced with loose-fitting and light cloth attire that Rigo could hardly feel at all.

If he hadn't felt so comfortable when he awoke, he'd have felt vulnerable.

When his eyes did open in the middle of the following day, he tried to sit up and was met with a fresh round of pain from his ribs. The memory of being thrown down a flight of stone stairs surfaced and he let out a grunt as he collapsed back down on his pillow.

"Ah!" came a cry from his side. He looked over and saw a young woman, blonde and not yet out of her teens, with pale, peach skin and small, pointed ears staring at him with her hands clutched at her chest. She wore a white dress and looked far more afraid than Rigo felt was warranted.

"Sorry," he said, apologizing lamely. "Didn't mean to scare you. Didn't know you were there."

"You're…awake?" she asked.

It was an odd question. "Yes?" Rigo answered inquisitively. Could he have answered any differently?

The girl seemed to steel her resolve and turned to a small cabinet beside her, where Rigo guessed she'd been working before he woke up. She picked up a small bottle and poured some of the contents into a small ceramic container. "How are you feeling?" she asked him.

"My chest hurts," he said. Thinking about it, he added, "My arm hurts. I think everything hurts."

"You came in here fairly banged up," the girl said. She turned again and crossed the short distance of the room approaching Rigo, but she did not come all the way to his bedside. Instead, she kept some distance between them and set the small glass down on a wooden surface beside his cot. The liquid in it was thick and deep green. Rigo picked it up. It smelled like the mildew that sometimes grew on the clothes if the women left them down by the river for too long.

"What is this?" Rigo asked, wrinkling his nose.

"It's a wildroot tonic," the girl said. "It should help with some of the pain."

He sniffed it again, but it didn't seem any more appetizing than before. "Who are you?" he asked.

'I'm a medic," she said, keeping planted where she stood. She had taken the fingers of one hand in the other now and was fiddling with them nervously. "My name is Ilsa."

"Ilsa," Rigo repeated. "Okay." He gave the cup a little swirl before downing the liquid in one quick go. It didn't taste any better than it had smelled, and he had to work not to gag on the aftertaste of it.

Ilsa came back to the table once Rigo had placed the cup down and collected it, scuttling away again with all possible speed. She brought the cup back to her small countertop and immediately began wiping at it with a rag.

"Are you alright?" Rigo asked. He found her behavior somewhat peculiar.

"Yes, of course," Ilsa answered, but said nothing more.

Rigo decided not to push it.

Ilsa finished her chore and stepped over to the door by the foot of his bed. "I'll, uh…I'll be right back.

He closed his eyes and laid back in his bed, enjoying the lasting comfort of the thing as Ilsa stepped out and shut the door behind her. Why was she acting so timid? Rigo'd never met her before, never wronged her. Granted, he'd never met _any_ Hylians over the course of his short life. Maybe this is what they were all like?

Of course she was also apparently taking care of him. It was difficult. He'd always been taught that Hylians were evil creatures, generally unpredictable and weak. But the two guardsmen outside had rescued him. This woman was caring for him by bedside. This wasn't what he would have expected from these creatures.

Rigo stayed put until he heard the door open again and looked up tentatively, not moving much for fear of hurting himself again.

A man stepped in from the hallway. He was large, taller than even Pureet had been, and clad in the uniform armor Rigo had come to recognize from the Hylian guards. Except, the man was not wearing a helmet. His skin, still pale to Rigo, was more tan than the nurse's had been. His dark hair was cropped exceedingly short, and a small patch of it was also maintained on his chin.

This was the very first time Rigo had ever seen another man up close, and he couldn't help but stare. Sure, there had been the occasional visitor to the pueblo from Jirin, but Rigo had never interacted with any of them, only viewed them form afar. From the roughly trimmed bristles on his face to the broadness of his shoulders, the nature of this man was something that was so foreign to him, so brutish, and yet something that he knew one day would become so personally familiar.

"Well, hello! Ilsa was right, huh? You are awake," the man said. Rigo saw two more shapes out in the hall. The first was Ilsa, craning her neck to get a look at him over the shoulder of the man. The second was mostly blocked from view. Rigo thought it looked like another guardsman, but couldn't be sure before the door swung closed on them, leaving him alone with the stranger.

"You all seem so surprised," Rigo said.

The man dragged a chair over from beside the wall and pulled it up to Rigo's bedside. As he set it in place, Rigo noted that he also did not choose to sit within arm's reach. Was he being courteous? Was it a Hylian custom to keep distance?

"When you were brought in last night you looked like you'd been through Hell," the man said. "We weren't sure if you'd survive, my little Gerudo friend." He peered down at Rigo, taking in the features of his face. "You are Gerudo, yes?"

"Yeah," Rigo said, staring back at him. The man had a kind of authoritative confidence about him, but his eyes also betrayed a tinge of fear. What was he afraid of?

"Well, your visit comes as something of a surprise. We haven't seen the likes of a Gerudo in…some time." He held out his hand to Rigo. "But where are my manners? My name is Tydus. Major Killian Tydus.

"Rigo," said Rigo. He almost introduced himself as King of the Gerudo, the man's pride in his own title almost pulled it out of him, but something told him it might not be a bad idea to keep that information a bit more private as long as he was laid out on a hospital bed. Or to play _some_ of his cards a little closer to the chest.

Tydus sat down in his chair. "I oversee the security of the citizens in Hyrule Castle Town. So naturally, your well-being has fallen to me."

"Is that where I am?" Rigo asked.

"In the Castle Town, yes," Tydus said. "You must have come quite a long way to arrive here, too. Hounded by brigands, or so your wounds would suggest."

"Something like that," Rigo said.

"And did you…come alone?" Tydus asked. There was a hint of suggestion in his voice, but if there was a deeper meaning to the question, Rigo didn't follow.

"Yes," he said, not revealing anything of Amili or Sooru.

"And to what purpose?" the man pushed further.

Rigo shook his head. "Just for help," he admitted. "Just to recover. It's been a tough trip, and I needed to rest before going back. I actually hadn't intended to come here at all."

"Of course," Tydus said.

"It's…something of a long story," Rigo added.

"Oh, I'm sure. And I hope to hear every bit of it, lad. I'm sure your travels have been nothing but fascinating, and there is much I would know about you and tne people you come from. But I understand that you are still exhausted from the journey, and we're in no rush." The man rose again, and made for the door. He abandoned his chair where he had dragged it. "I only wished to be introduced, we can discuss once you've recovered some. Not to worry."

"Yeah, sure," Rigo said. "But I can't stay here too long. I need to start heading back, like, as soon as possible. Once my arm's ready."

"Sure thing, lad," Tydus said "Don't you worry on it. We'll also arrange for your return trip as soon as possible."

Rigo smiled. "Thanks," he said. The hospitality here had been remarkable, if a little tense. Maybe the Gerudo scholars had been wrong about Hylians after all.

"Get some rest," Tydus said. "And I'll see you again soon." The door shut behind him, and Rigo was again left alone.

He had almost begun to start feeling better when the positivity shattered like so much broken glass. The small sliver of comfort that had begun to develop was sliced open almost instantly when the familiar voice in his head rang out again, clear as ever. _Don't trust him,_ Nabooru said.

Rigo sighed and felt a familiar weight drop onto his shoulders. _You know something? You're paranoid. _he thought at her, not wanting to speak out loud just now. The last thing he needed was for Ilsa, the nurse, to think he was in here talking to himself. Who knew what kind of tonics he'd have to drink then?

_Oh, yeah?_ Nabooru asked.

_Yeah. The Gerudo are always teaching that the Hylians are bad, the Hylians are uncaring. The Hylians are dangerous. But they're treating me like one of their own. They're taking good care of me!_

_That's what they're doing, is it?_

Rigo wiggled his bound arm to the extent that he could without it starting to ache. _Hello?_

_And I'm sure all patients get a personal visit from the head of city security? _Nabooru asked.

_Well,_ Rigo thought, _like he said, I'm Gerudo. It's interesting to them._

_You were out cold yesterday, weren't you?_

Rigo hesitated a moment. _Yeah._

_So you didn't hear any of that conversation from last night?_

_What conversation? _Rigo asked. _What are you talking about?_

Nabooru paused and Rigo waited for her answer. He was about to ask if she had heard him, when it came back to him. But, instead of a description in Nabooru's own light, nasal voice, Rigo heard another voice surface in his head. This one was that of an older man.

"_This is a total security crisis!" _the man was yelling, overblown. Rigo started.

_What's this?! _he thought at Nabooru.

_It's last night's conversation, _she answered.

_You can repeat what you hear word-for-word? _Rigo asked, incredulous.

_Yeah, it's just one of my many features. Now be quiet. Just listen._

"_Keep your voice down, Warden," _came a second voice. Rigo was surprised to find he recognized this one. It was the big man who'd just left the room.Tydus._ "You don't want to cause a panic." _

"_It's a crisis!"_ the "Warden" hissed again loudly.

"_It's not ideal, but it's not a crisis, so calm yourself," _Tydus said.

"_Did you see the boy's face? His…his eyes? Sweet Din, did you _see _what he _looks_ like?!"_

"_I know who he looks like,"_ said Tydus.

"_You _need_ to escalate this. Inform the queen, get the Royal Family involved. This is too big to just sweep under the rug. The queen will have a diplomatic way of dealing with this."_

"_Diplomacy is weakness here, Warden."_

"_You…you shouldn't talk like that," _the Warden stammered.

"_Do you think it would have worked to be diplomatic with _him_?" _Tydus asked. His voice was bubbling over with impatience and anger, frightening in its power.

"_No, but…well, what is it? What do you want to do?"_

"_Do?" _Tydus asked. _"If it had been up to me, I'd have killed the little sand rat at the gate and been done with it, nice and easy. Like a cockroach under my boot."_ Rigo felt the color drain from his face. It was him. They were talking about him_._

"_Damn Mars for bringing him in here," _Tydus went on._ "Now too many people have seen him. We can't just off him, or they'll start asking questions."_

"_Well, I can't keep him here!" _the Warden protested.

"_Oh yes you can," _Tydus said. _"You'll lock him up, good and proper. And don't mistake me. That's not a request. It's an order."_

"_You can't order me to do something like this!" _the Warden said. _"Not without written authorization from the Royal Family. I insist…"_

"_Before you say anything else that might be considered insubordinate," _Tydus interrupted,_ "I would like to remind you, Warden, just how dirty your hands have been of late. You think I don't know about the things you've done? You think I don't know about _Cynthia_?"_

"_No…" _the Warden muffled.

"_Oh yes. So once I've finished with him, you will lock the little sand rat into a hole and throw away the key. And if you even think about going over my head, talking to the Royal Family, so help me, I will expose you and everything you've done. I'm sure your wife would appreciate it. You will keep this to yourself, and keep _him_ under lock and key, is that clear?"_

If the Warden answered, Rigo didn't hear it. The man sounded beaten. Pathetic. A beat went by before Tydus spoke again.

"_Besides,"_ he said. _"I've heard that sometimes _accidents_ can happen down in the Stockade. If something like that could be arranged, well…then the boy won't need to be here so long, will he?"_

"_I'll see what I can do," _the Warden muttered.

Rigo waited for more, but nothing came. There was empty silence in the room as Rigo filled with dread. He looked up. Upon inspection, he realized that the window above, which he noticed earlier allowing sunlight into the room, was covered on the outside with iron bars that ran vertically along its length. The cold, thick walls, the heavy doors, the guards. It all made sense.

_Kid, this isn't a hospital. It's a prison, _Nabooru said. _You're still in danger here._


	21. Web of Lies

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 21: Web of Lies  
**By, Frank Hunter

After the initial sense panic and yet another sleepless night, Rigo finally burned himself out. Too much had happening too quickly, and he couldn't continue trying to keep up with all of it. He'd been operating on fight-or-flight for too many straight hours, and it was in his need to get out of that mentality that he had a self-preserving epiphany.

What he realized was that these people _needed_ him.

If they didn't, he wouldn't _be _here. They wouldn't have reason to keep him alive, they wouldn't have reason to help him heal up, and they absolutely wouldn't have reason to mislead him about where he was or when he would be able to leave. The thought brought him a sense of calmness and clarity, which was what he needed most. They needed him. He didn't know what _for_ yet, but he had a feeling he'd figure it out soon. Until then, he was safe.

_That's probably the case,_ Nabooru confirmed when he shared the suspicion with her. _Though I wouldn't drink any more of their potions if I were you._

The first foul-tasting drink hadn't had any odd effects. It may legitimately have been a painkiller, but Rigo didn't trust it anymore and took Nabooru's advice when Ilsa came back the following morning.

"I'm feeling better," he said when the medic offered him another cup of green medicine. "Don't worry about it."

Ilsa looked unsure of herself. "But…they said that's your medicine. You have to take it."

"I get it, but I'm not hurting anymore," Rigo said. He flashed a smile at Ilsa and the young woman blushed. "Really," he added. Ilsa took the cup and left the room, not pushing her patient any further. She came back periodically throughout the day, each time again trying to get him to take the medicine and each time not having the backbone to press the issue when Rigo refused.

"You're gonna drown me in this stuff," Rigo told her after the fourth visit.

"I'm not trying to drown you," Ilsa uttered as she again shuffled away. Rigo decided that the reserved nature must not have just been a Hylian thing. The girl _was _especially shy, would probably have been this way around him even if there was not a conspiracy in place. It was entirely possible she didn't even know what was really going on here.

_She also might have a thing for you,_ Nabooru suggested.

_Oh, give me a break,_ Rigo said.

_No, really. Hylian women aren't quite so disciplined when it comes to guarding their emotions, and you're something of a looker, kid. That kind of behavior is a clear-cut example of infatuation. You should think about feeding into it._

Rigo's heart clenched at the suggestion. _I'm with Amili,_ he told Nabooru. The mention of her brought him a fresh wave of heartbreak. They'd never actually talked about it, but the love and companionship they'd shared on their journey had brought them together in that kind of way. It was something that, under other circumstances, could have led to a happily ever after.

Nabooru, of course, trampled straight over his protest with straight rationality. _I'm not suggesting you go picking flowers and catching butterflies with her, stupid. You're gonna need to find a way out of here. She might be able to help._

_You mean…lead her on? Use her?_ Rigo asked.

_If she can get you out of here, yes._

Rigo hated to consider it. _That seems cruel._

_No crueler than getting locked up without committing a crime, _Nabooru retorted. _Any chance you see to get out of this place, you take it, or you're gonna wind up regretting it._

_Right,_ Rigo said. _Right, okay._

Ilsa continued to turn up to try and persuade him into medicating and to change his bandages, but Rigo was hesitant to put this first plan into effect. He continued to do little else but smile and decline the green liquid, which she continued to respond to with apparent embarrassment and sadness. He tried to joke with her again, but the whole conversation with Nabooru made it feel awkward and uncomfortable.

"Maybe you and I could share one," he suggested at one point.

Ilsa raised an eyebrow at him. "I…don't really need it," she said.

_Smooth._

The young medic was Rigo's only visitor for several days, until the Major came back. When he did, he was still all smiles. It was difficult for Rigo to look at the man, knowing what he'd said while Rigo slept. The phrase "like a cockroach" played over and over again in his mind. He would never have believed it had he not heard it from Nabooru.

"Shaping up nicely," Tydus said as he settled down next to Rigo again.

"Yeah," Rigo agreed. "Still not sure when I'll be able to get moving again. The nurse won't give me an idea."

Tydus nodded grimly. "Yes," he said. "A broken arm isn't something to fool around with. Speaking of which, I've seen from Ilsa's reports that you aren't taking your medicine. You know that would help you get onto your feet quicker?"

"I think I'll be alright without it," Rigo said pointedly.

Tydus looked like he was biting back some kind of retort. Rigo guessed he wasn't the kind of man who was used to being told "no." He let it go, most likely for the sake of his kindness charage.

"I thought that maybe this would be a good day for a chat," Tydus went on, amiably enough. "I'd guess you know, the Hylians and, uh…Gerudo," he gestured first at himself and then Rigo as he said this, "have not been in contact for some time. And the last meeting was not exactly peaceful."

"No, it wasn't. But that was almost two centuries ago," Rigo said, quoting what he knew from his history scriptures and trying to sound knowledgeable. "Ancient history."

Tydus cocked his head and gave Rigo a concerned look. "Seventy years," he corrected.

"Excuse me?"

"You meant to say seventy years."

Rigo thought on it, but that wasn't the case. "No…" he said. "Two hundred. That was when the Ganondorf War ended. And my people…"

"The _first_ Ganondorf War. You're forgetting about his return to Hyrule seven short decades ago."

"Re…return?"

Tydus crossed his arms and fixed Rigo under his stare. Rigo couldn't hold the stare. He felt vulnerable as he lay in his bed, as though a hungry vulture circled over his head.

"When Ganondorf came back to try again to conquer Hyrule. And the Sages again saw fit to banish him for it, a mistake they seem to enjoy repeating. Which is when he, while in another world, was able to amass an army of dark creatures and shadows the likes of which Hyrule has never seen, and unleash them here, covering the world in darkness and terror once more."

_The mirror… _Nabooru scowled. Rigo had a flash of the shattered mirror atop the Arbiter's Grounds, and remembered what Nabooru had told him about it.

_Is…is all of that true? _he asked, unbelieving.

_If it is, kid, it wasn't me or my group of Sages. My time as a Sage was already done by then, so I can't say for sure. We never used the mirror._

"I…I don't…"

"That's fine, Rigo," Tydus went on. "It's possible that Ganondorf made his return from the realm of Twilight without the aid of his own people. It's, I'm sure, very _likely_ that the Gerudo people remain ignorant of the activities of their _King_. Why should you be aware of these things? They weren't _big_ problems, after all. Not a _global_ threat or anything."

"I…" Rigo stammered. "But…but I really didn't know."

"You have to understand my _position_," Tydus explained. "Every time we see a Gerudo man emerge from the desert, our realm goes into a state of open war. It makes us somewhat nervous."

"But it's only ever been one man who's caused it."

"Now there are two," Tydus said.

It took Rigo a moment to realize the man was referring to him. The statement took him aback. "What exactly are you accusing me of?"

Tydus put his hands in the air. A smile returned to his face. "Absolutely nothing. We're just talking. Like you said, m'boy. Ancient history. The relationship between the Hylians and Gerudo today doesn't need to be _hostile_. The Dark King," Rigo cringed at the degrading title, "is dead and gone. We can begin to _mend_ the rift that has formed between our people. But that mending will only come by way of complete honesty between one another. Do you understand?"

_Lying, poisonous snake, _Nabooru muttered. Rigo forced himself to conceal a grin. He was glad to have the spirit on his side.

"The Gerudo people _value_ honesty," Rigo said, fixing the Major with a gaze of his own. If the bigger man had any insight into Rigo's knowledge though, he didn't show it.

"Good. Then I think we're understanding each other," Tydus said. He leaned forward. "What else can you tell me about the Gerudo people? How many have come back to Hyrule with you, Rigo? The truth."

There it was. Rigo now knew what it was Tydus needed, and why he was still alive. He was hoping to get information on the Gerudo. He was expecting Rigo to be the first scout in a new invasion from the desert, and wanted to know what kind of forces were coming, what to expect.

He was paranoid. But if that was the case, why did he _not_ want to inform the Royal Family about this kind of potential problem?

Rigo decided to string him along a little longer. "Major, I really look helping the Hylians and Gerudo grow back together, but I'm…tired. I think I need to rest for now. And think about what I should be sharing with you so soon. I'm not an _elected_ emissary, you understand. I might need to go back to my tribe even, and talk over the idea of a renewed relationship with them."

A ripple of frustration passed over Tydus's face, but, as he was still attempting to maintain an air of compassion, he tucked it back again. He stood up and nodded at Rigo. "I know you're still recovering, and that's fine. We can resume the discussion tomorrow. But, I'm afraid I will need to know something of where you're coming from or going to before I can see to it that you're able to leave the Castle Town."

Rigo put on a look of confusion. "I don't think you have the right to stop me from checking out of a _hospital_, Major? Or do I misunderstand Hylian custom in this?"

Tydus again smiled a dangerous smile, nodded, and went to open the door.

"I'll be wanting to leave here within the week," Rigo called after Tydus as he stepped into the hall.

"That's reasonable enough," came the reply as the man stepped out.

"And I want my things back," he added, thinking of his clothing, cloak, and silver gauntlets. But the door slammed shut on his sentence, and he didn't know if the security chief had heard the last bit.

Nabooru broke into a fit of giggles. _'I want my things back,' _she said. _Priceless._

Rigo grinned. A thought occurred to him. _You can still pass back into the gauntlets, can't you?_

_If I wanted to, _Nabooru said. _They're stuffed in a locker somewhere. Not exactly the most scenic digs, if you follow. Better for me to be your headmate just now._

_You can't see where they are? _he asked.

_No. What, you want to try and use them to break outta here?_

_Yeah, _Rigo agreed. _If we got the chance to try. Would it work?_

_Hard to tell with those things. I'd say about a fifty fifty chance they'll be useful outside the Desert Temple. But it's another plan. Can't have too many of those just now, can we?_

_Guess not, _Rigo said. He took a deep breath and settled back. He was just about tired of sitting still.


	22. Planting Seeds

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 22: Planting Seeds  
**By, Frank Hunter

It wasn't long before Ilsa was coming to visit Rigo regularly, even without medicine. Rigo hated to admit it, but it looked like Nabooru had been right about her feelings toward the boy. He knew that nurses and doctors sometimes felt overly sympathetic for their patients, sometimes even fell for them head over heels, but he'd never seen it. He'd only ever heard silly stories of foolishness and unfit love. But, as the days went on, Ilsa and Rigo began to strike up real conversation, and it was clear the girl was interested.

"What's it like, living in the Castle Town?" he asked her one day.

_Get her to talk about herself, and then listen,_ Nabooru had advised him. _Quickest way into a woman's heart._

"It's nothing special," Ilsa told him. "Nothing really happens here. I guess that's why I started apprenticing at the…hospital." She chuckled to herself. "Just to get the chance to be near something exciting."

"I didn't know hospitals were so interesting," Rigo said.

Ilsa nodded with vigor. "Oh, yes! I've saved people's lives! I really get to help people. I'm much happier since becoming a medic. It makes me feel useful, I guess."

_I think you're a lot more than just useful,_ Nabooru prompted.

"I think you're a lot more than just useful," Rigo articulated, and smiled charmingly at Ilsa, who blushed and turned away.

"Stop it, Rigo. You're just being sweet."

"Can't help it," Rigo confessed.

_You're really cute when you blush._

"You're really cute when you blush." This, of course, only made her cheeks redder.

The conversations went on like this regularly until Ilsa was comfortable sitting at the foot of Rigo's bed. They were overall pleasant, though Rigo consistently felt a huge lump of guilt in his throat as he talked to her, which refused to budge as long as he knew he was playing with the poor girl's emotions. This discomfort, however, was nothing compared to what he felt during his sporadic discussions with Major Tydus. Those had begun to take on an edge, more so with every visit as Rigo resisted giving the man any actual information at every turn.

"That's a bloody lie!" the Major accused him during one of their talks.

"Why would I lie to you?" Rigo asked, innocently.

"If the Gerudo stronghold is as far away as you say, then why in Din's name would you come here alone?"

"I told you," Rigo said. "It was a pilgrimage back to the Desert Temple. A rite of passage. I ran out of water before turning back and wound up falling into the lake."

"Maybe I should dispatch a squad of men out to the Desert to confirm that, hm?" Tydus asked.

"Go ahead," said Rigo, and he wasn't exactly bluffing. As far as he knew, no one was out there anymore. "I'll show them out the temple when I leave, if you want.

The Major all but snarled at him over the response.

Rigo asked Ilsa about his behavior at the next opportune moment. "What's that guy's problem, anyway? Why's he so angry?"

Ilsa was sitting at the edge of the bed crocheting something that looked as though it were intended for a small child. "I think he's just afraid of you," she said.

"That's ridiculous," Rigo said. "I've never done anything to him."

"No, but…" she looked over her shoulder at the closed door. "Listen. I heard that the Major comes from a family that's always been really close to the Royals. Like, that his grandfather was in the Royal Guard the last time that, you know, _he_ tried to take over."

She was referring to Ganondorf. Rigo just nodded, encouraging her on.

"The grandfather was _with_ Princess Zelda when she made her last stand in the Castle's keep, when _his _lackey, Zant, came in with the dark monsters and…" She took her crochet needle and pantomimed it across her throat.

"Everyone there _died_ except the Princess. Most people around here expect that's why the Major takes his job so seriously. He wants to do better than his family did last time, you know? He sees you and he thinks about Ganondorf, and he's scared I think."

_Are you scared? _Nabooru suggested.

"Are you scared of me?" Rigo asked.

Ilsa smiled down at her project, refusing to look up at Rigo. "Not exactly. I don't think you're such a bad guy."

"Thanks. I've been thinking, maybe, you're not so bad yourself," he said. He pointed at her project and changed the subject, as though he'd embarrassed himself. "What are you making over there?

"What, these?" she asked, holding them up and dangling them in the air. "They're mittens for my little sister. Winter will be coming soon."

"It gets cold?"

She nodded. "Very." She looked puzzled for a moment, and then asked. "You've never seen snow, have you?"

"No," said Rigo, who had begun staring off toward the wall. "No, but I'm sure it's…wonderful…" He trailed off, seemingly deep in thought, hoping that his distraction would catch Ilsa's attention. It did.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," Rigo said quickly. "Nothing. It's stupid."

"I'm sure it's not," Ilsa said earnestly. "Tell me."

"It's just…" Rigo said, halting, putting his pauses in just the right places for effect. "The mittens reminded me. They took my stuff somewhere when I came in here. I haven't seen it since I woke up." He smiled. "Still sorry that I startled you."

"No, it's okay," Ilsa reassured him.

Rigo went on. "Well, most of it was just travelling clothes. Don't care much what happens to them. But…I had a pair of gloves with me. They were made of silver and were beautiful, an old family heirloom that my grandmother gave me before my trip." The memory of his grandmother actually saddened him some, and he was able to work a tear into his eye. He felt so low for putting on this act.

_What are you doing? _Nabooru asked.

_Just trust me,_ he thought back.

"I just…have no idea where my things are," he said.

"They're in storage," Ilsa said helpfully. "The quartermasters will be keeping everything safe."

"Sure. I'm sure. It's just," he sighed, "I wish I could have my grandmother's gloves back. If nothing else, it would make me feel better to know they're safe."

"I'm sorry, Rigo," Ilsa said. "I can't…"

"Oh, no!" he cut her off. "No, I wasn't insisting. I was just saying. No, like I said before, it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

Rigo remained distracted for the rest of their discussion and Ilsa left the room visibly concerned about him. When she was gone, he collapsed onto his bed and pulled the flimsy pillow over his face, blotting out the world.

_You have some talent for manipulation, _Nabooru said. _And I would know._

_Don't say that,_ he thought. _This is horrible._

_The ends justify the means, kid, _Nabooru said. _If it gets you out of here, just be sure to send the girl a fruit basket or something. She'll be fine._

Rigo pulled the pillow down tighter on his face. With all the life-changing, world-shaking problems he was facing, he really didn't need this girl's broken heart on top of it. It seemed silly to worry about such a small thing, but in truth, what he was doing to her was no different than what the Major was doing to him. It was just lies and misdirection, fueled by condescension.

He thought on all the things he'd done, hoping to reach for a positive end to everything. Between the thievery and assault, the lies and deceit, he wondered if you could still _be_ a good person at the end if you went through all of this to get there. He wasn't sure he was still a good person now.

Of course, none of that changed the fact that he needed to get out, get back to the desert, and stop Sooru as soon as possible. In any way possible. His arm would be healed up before long, at least enough to travel, and he would be gone. And Ilsa? She'd get over it. Yeah, he was sure she'd bounce back. Sweet girl like that? She would have no problem.


	23. Escape Attempt

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 23: Escape Attempt  
**By, Frank Hunter

Much as Rigo didn't want to believe it, the reality that he wasn't simply walking out of this place had begun to dawn on him. He tried, once, to go out into the hall, just to walk around some and maybe try to see out of a window, glimpse the city a little bit. He was immediately stopped by a guard who, as far as he could tell, was stationed just outside his room.

"Please return to your room, sir," the guard said, stoically.

"I've just gotta stretch my legs a little bit," Rigo told him. "I've been stuck in there forever. I'll be right back."

"I insist, sir. You are not permitted to be roaming the corridors. Return to your room."

Rigo sighed and went back in, shutting the door. From then on, whenever he peeked outside, there were two guards standing there, and no way to slip out unnoticed. If it hadn't been for the regular visits from Ilsa, he'd have gone crazy with boredom.

His arm was beginning to feel better, and though it was still slightly uncomfortable, he had begun to be able to move it and put pressure back into his fingers. He was ready to use the arm if needed, though he was sure that, given the chance, any doctor would tell him it was a bad idea. Now, it was just a matter of figuring out when and how to do so.

He was considering possible ploys to distract the guards outside when Ilsa finally came through for him. She practically bounced into his room, beaming brightly and hiding her hands behind her back. "Hi!" she said, giddily.

"Hi," Rigo answered. "What's that?"

"It's a surprise!" she said, and quickly lost patience with the game. She brought her hands out in front of her, and Rigo reacted in sudden shock. Loosely wrapped in brown paper, the Silver Gauntlets were there, draping from her outstretched hands. "Ta da!" Ilsa said.

"My…"

"Your grandmother's gloves!" Ilsa said. "I know how much they mean to you, and I don't really see any reason why you can't hold onto them." She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "Just make sure the Major doesn't see them, or he'll take them."

Rigo shook his head in disbelief. "Ilsa…wow. I didn't think…you didn't have to."

"I hated to see you so depressed," the girl said. "'If there was anything I could do to make you feel better,' I told myself. But I already knew there was. You'd told me what you wanted. And it wasn't easy, but I knew it would help, and so I went and got them."

Ilsa stepped up to Rigo and gave him a hug, which, after a moment of surprise, he returned, grasping her around her shoulders.

"I can get into a lot of trouble for this," she said. "So _please_, be careful with them, and keep them hidden, okay?"

Rigo forced a smile. "Sure. Of course."

"Great. Listen, I can't stay today. I'm just on my way out. I just wanted to stop by and give you the present. I'll see you tomorrow though, bright and early!"

"Bright and early," Rigo said, and smiled at her again. "Thanks so much, Ilsa. I owe you."

"We'll talk about it tomorrow," she said with a flirty wink and let herself out the door, leaving Rigo standing there with gloves in hand.

_Well that was a freebie, _Nabooru said.

Rigo came to his senses quickly. _It's time to go, isn't it?_

_I'd say so. You put any thought into how you want to use the gloves?_

_Yeah,_ Rigo said. He looked up, squinting into the afternoon ray of sunshine that reached down into his small room from the high-up opening. _I think the window is my best bet._

_As good a way as any,_ Nabooru said.

Rigo put the gauntlets on and got to work immediately. He was unable to lock his door so privacy couldn't be guaranteed. He knew he'd have to move fast and get gone, or his plan would be ruined.

He returned to his bed and immediately began to strip it, pulling off the sheets and pillowcases and tying them length-to-length until he had a makeshift rope made of bed linens.

_An anchor, _he thought. _I need an anchor._

_Check the chair, _Nabooru suggested. Rigo went over to the chair that Major Tydus kept leaving by his bedside and took a close look over it. It was solid wood, pretty heavy, which was helpful, but the legs were what he was interested in. They were attached to the base of the chair by solid-looking screws and rivots, and he obviously had no tools with which to remove the hardware.

_I'll have to break it,_ he said.

_Well, what are you waiting for?_ Nabooru asked impatiently.

Rigo braced the chair diagonally against the ground and began repeatedly stomping his foot on one of the legs. It was pliant, and he felt a little give with each strike, but no breaking. It hurt his bare foot.

_You hit like a woman,_ Nabooru said.

_Who are you to talk!?_

He redoubled his effort, putting more muscle behind his each hit as he kicked at the chair. Eventually, he began to hear crackling at the top of the leg as he struck it, until finally the piece of wood snapped clean off. It made a harsh, cracking noise that Rigo could have sworn echoed off of every wall in the place. He grimaced and eyed the door, frozen in place. But the guards didn't come. They must not have heard.

After a few moments passed and he wasn't caught, he took the newly liberated chair leg and tied it to the end of his faux rope, completing, what he thought, was a not-so-horrible makeshift grappling hook.

_Alright, _he thought. _Now we're getting somewhere._ He put the hook down on his bed and began to undo the bandages on his arm. As he pulled it from its sling, he was reminded just how tender it was, and how much of a bad idea this would be under normal circumstances. But the situation wasn't ideal, and his half-healed bones would have to do him.

_Just be careful not to miss,_ Nabooru reminded him. _The less noise the better._

_I know._

Once his arms were free and he'd stretched the tired, underused muscle a little bit, he took the hook in his good arm and went to stand under the window. He lined the shot up, took his time, and tossed the chair leg underhanded, feeding the rope slack as it arced up, into the window bay, and slipped through the bars to the outside.

"Yes!" he hissed. Pulling on the rope, he worked the piece of wood back up the bars, now on the outside of his room. It caught horizontally and the rope went taught, now giving him a way to climb up and reach the bars.

Rigo climbed as quickly as he could with his bum arm. The techniques he had learned from Pureet about rope climbing had him doing most of the work with his legs anyway, but it was still difficult considering the injury and the weeks of inactivity he'd just been enjoying. However, he was young and strong enough, and before long, slightly out of breath, he pulled himself into the window bay.

_Time to see if those things are gonna work,_ Nabooru said.

_Why do they only work sometimes?_ Rigo asked her as he took the bars in hand.

_It's a limited enchantment,_ Nabooru answered. _It gives the gauntlets power over stones and metals with a certain composition. If the right elements aren't in the material, the gloves won't help you push or lift at all._

_Guess it's up to luck, then, _Rigo said.

He braced himself against the bars as best as he was able given the limited space, and pushed. At first there was nothing, but there hadn't been for the pedestal in the Desert Temple either. As he kept the pressure on, though, he felt it: the tingling down his arms. The gloves' magic was coming to life. Rigo almost screamed in delight. He felt his strength grow. He felt the iron bars beneath his hands start to bend and give way. They didn't stand a chance.

An instant later, the bars' whole framework popped out of place. It broke free from the window with the crash and rumble of broken steel and shattered rock, a loud, resounding crash that most certainly _did _echo through the room.

"What was that?" came a muffled voice from the hallway. An instant later, the door opened and the two guards outside came into the room. They spotted Rigo up on the windowsill immediately. "Hey!"

_Looks like the cat's out of the bag, _Nabooru said.

Rigo took the broken framework of metal bars and threw them down at the guards, forcing them to stop and protect themselves against the falling object. He realized, too late, that his grappling hook was still attached to the debris.

"Damn," he swore, but there was nothing to be done about it now.

Rigo turned and looked down out of the window. Below him, he saw a busy, bustling street full of pedestrians and merchants and paved by very solid-looking cobblestone. All of it was very, very far down. He hesitated.

_So what's the next part of the plan? _Nabooru asked.

_I don't know! _Rigo said. _I was hoping for like, a moat or something._

_Well you don't have it,_ Nabooru snapped. _Go left._

Rigo looked to the left and saw an incredibly narrow landing, no more than a few inches in width, that he could possibly follow along to the next window, dangerous though it was. He swallowed.

_Here goes nothing, _he thought and climbed out.

He felt this little adventure he was on kept constantly pushing the bar on the most frightening moment of his life. Earlier, he could have sworn it was squaring off with Sooru's army, and before that it was the climb to the top of the Temple. But never before had he dangled over such an unforgiving fall with absolutely no measure of safety and absolutely nothing to catch on to if he went down. And as he climbed, he found that the wind at this height was unpredictable and gusty, and was treated to a fairly horrific mental image of him getting blown straight off the building and careening to the street below.

But as he reached the next window and peered inside, he realized that he couldn't stop there. There was another patient inside, a long-haired, bearded man jabbering endlessly to himself, nonsense words that Rigo couldn't understand. He seemed to be mentally ill. Either way, it might not be the best idea to pay him a visit, and Rigo was sure there would be guards outside this room too, even if his own weren't likely giving chase through the corridors.

No, he'd have to climb.

The man inside caught sight of Rigo in the window and ran over, staring from directly under the bars, right where Rigo had been in his own room just before his ownescape.

"The tenements are infested!" the man yelled at him from below. "And the green one knows! It's the end of days! Gotta plant the seeds! Plant the seeds or buy the farm!"

The man began jumping up at the window trying to grab Rigo by the leg, which was disturbing, but he was too far down to reach. Rigo looked around the window and gauged the stones that were set in the wall. They were not smoothly aligned. He felt he could probably climb on them, but the windowsill he stood on was much closer to the top of the building than the bottom.

Rigo, rushed somewhat into his decision by his irritation with the patient inside and his fear of the death drop beneath him, felt he would much rather get to the roof and find a way down inside than try to brave the whole length of the wall down the outside. It would also be less risky that anyone below would see him doing anything suspicious that way.

He grabbed an outlying brick and began his delicate climb up. The patient spat at him as he left. "Two become one!" he shouted, giving the impression that he was trying to put a final message across. "It's not double vision!"

Rigo put the man out of mind and kept moving. He tried not to think about any of it, just focused on where to place his hand, the next brick. He found his way gradually up the wall and counted his blessings when he reached the top. His hand settled on a flat surface of stone where the wall gave way to the roof, and he thanked the Sand Goddess. He bad arm was hurting awfully. If this had gone on much longer, he'd have been unable to hang on.

He pulled up, first to his forearms, then his elbows, and with his eyes shut in effort, managed to drag his body over the side lip and collapsed onto the roof. He was out of breath and tired, but still alive.

But, his heart sank when a voice rang out across the roof. A deep voice with a hint of amusement.

"Where you going, Rigo?" it asked.

He froze. He opened his eyes and looked across the roof. Standing there, amid a cadre of armed Hylian soldiers with polearms and swords, was Major Tydus. The big man was sneering down at him.

Rigo scrambled to his feet, and backed up against the wall. He thought immediately about hurrying back down, but knew that he wouldn't be able to take it. He'd fall, and that would be the end of it.

"It's time for me to go," he called out to Tydus.

"I agree," the man said. "Anyone who can pull what you just did doesn't need to be bedridden in an infirmary."

"Tell your guards to back down," Rigo said. "I mean it."

"Or what, boy?"

"Or," Rigo stalled, "you…you declare your intentions to go to war with the Gerudo people. Right here, right now!"

Tydus smirked. "I thought you said you were not an emissary."

"I…I'm not," Rigo stumbled.

"And that you came to Hyrule alone?"

Rigo was silent. There was nothing he could say to make this better, and he knew it.

"I'll give you one last chance, boy," Tydus said. "And you be _honest_ with me, now. Tell me about the Gerudo out in the desert, and I'll let you walk free."

Rigo scowled at him. "Why should I?" he asked, "If you've never been honest with me? You're still lying. You were never gonna let me leave this place."

Tydus's smile seemed to grow, and two of the Hylian guards moved in on him from either side. "How about that? You're sharper than you look." He stepped in closer himself. "You want the truth? Fine. Here it is. You are going underground today, into a place reserved for degenerates and criminals, for your affiliation with a hostile race that has long been the bane of Hyrule's bloody history. You will _rot_ in the Stockades with the roaches and the rats, until you die what will likely be a _painful_ death at the hands of one of your fellow inmates. This will be the remainder of your life, boy, and there is nothing you can do to change it."

"That's what you think," Rigo said. The two guards moving in on him were within arm's length now. The one on his left was holding a polearm, so Rigo quickly reached for his scabbard and pulled to draw the man's sword for himself.

The guard tried to grab Rigo's hand, but the boy was quick, and jammed his knee up hard, between the man's legs, into a soft spot in the Hylian armor. The guard made a slight muffled sound and backed away. Rigo got the weapon.

Sword in hand, he immediately, spun and swung around his back, but the Hylian guards were well trained in this form of combat. The guard behind him parried the swipe and grabbed at Rigo's wrist and the sword's hilt. Rigo, with all of his strength, shoved his shoulder into the man's gut and tried to push him away, but in doing so, the guard was able to take his sword. The short struggle was all but over.

In the instant before the guards overtook him, Rigo saw the fast-moving shape of a guard to his left, and in his desperation threw a punch at the man's face. It connected clearly, and his fist, still clad in the Silver Gauntlets, caused damage to the exposed face of a person who, he recognized in the instant after it happened, as Major Tydus. Right afterward, the guardsmen were able to sieze Rigo by the arms and held him tight. He could no longer move, though he struggled with everything he had.

The Major reeled from the blow. Rigo's gloved hand had slashed across his left cheek with what amounted to a plate of jagged metal, cutting the skin there and opening a wound that bled freely down his face. When he turned back to Rigo, there was murder in his eyes and blood dripping from his chin.

"YOU FOUL, LOATHESOME, PISS-POOR EXCUSE FOR A DESERT RAT!"

The Major moved in on Rigo and threw a punch directly at his stomach. It was a direct hit, harder than he'd ever taken in Pureet's training sessions, and it made him double over in pain, forgetting even to keep struggling against his captors. The next strike hit him across the face and he dropped to his knees. And it continued from there, in painful hammer blows all over his body. At some point his arms were released and he tried to cover his head to defend himself, but it did no good. Eventually, the world just started to go black again, and before he was out entirely he heard the voice of one of the guards trying peel the Major away, to persuade him to stop. But the beating didn't end until the boy was out.


	24. Power of the Mind

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 24: Power of the Mind  
**By, Frank Hunter

Excessive bruising, three fractured ribs, and a re-broken arm. This was the toll taken on Rigo by the Major for the escape attempt. And when he awoke again, he did not find himself in a comfortable hospital bed. Far from it.

The world came back in gradually as his vision returned, though it did not brighten. At first, he thought the Major's barrage had damaged his eyes, blinded him in some irreparable way, but that wasn't the case. It was just that dark where he was now. He lay on the floor, on a pile of straw and hay. There was no pillow for his head, nor blanket to keep him warm. And it was cold. Somewhere in the distance there was the perpetual sound of dripping water, repeating itself every few seconds in a way that he knew would begin to drive him nuts before too long.

He looked around himself. There was little in the room: a hole in the floor in one corner, the toilet, he assumed, and what looked like a large, brown rock in another. Three of the walls were comprised of the same dull, gray stone as the floor, and vertical iron bars as thick as his wrist ran the length of the third. The only door, set in the bars and also set _with_ bars, looked as though it would budge for nothing short of doomsday.

Rigo supposed he'd been imprisoned all along, but now, thanks to the Major, there were actual _bars_ around him. This must be the Stockade he mentioned, a prison belowground, tucked away beneath the splendor of Hyrule Castle Town. A place where criminals were sent to be removed from society and forgotten by those above. That's where he was.

He sat up and took a toll of his injuries. It felt like everything hurt. He'd again been bandaged up as needed, but the bandages already looked dirty and saturated, probably from laying on a floor that hadn't been cleaned in recent memory or ever. His broken arm had again been slung up, and he felt something soft tucked into the fingers of that bandaged hand. A piece of paper?

He used his good hand to fish the note out through the openings in his fingers, unfolded it, and read the one line that was written on it:

"_This is the last time. -I"_

Ilsa. It must have been. In the haze of awakening he'd forgotten about almost everything, but the wave of guilt over Ilsa came back to him then, as did his fear for Amili and his anger toward both Sooru and Major Tydus. Nothing, ever since deciding to strike out into the desert in the first place, had turned out fair. This whole ordeal had just been one bad turn after another, and now he seemed to have made the last and worst one. The Major had told him he would die in here. Now, injured and trapped, with his gauntlets again taken away again and no means to get them back, he thought it might be the truth. There wouldn't be an escape from a place like this.

_Welcome back,_ came the voice of Nabooru, who was still apparently along for the ride. _Congrats on the new room, by the way. Very homey._

"Ugh…" Rigo grunted, and rubbed his eyes. On top of everything, he had a splitting headache.

_I gotta say, that escape couldn't have gone worse if you'd _planned _it that way. Well done._

Rigo tried to get to his feet but didn't have the strength to right his body. He fell back onto his rear end twice, and after the second time just decided to stay there. Where was there to go, anyway?

_Still,_ Nabooru said. _A couple of paintings for the walls, maybe some drapes on the bars. This place could be livable. Maybe even cozy._

"Shut up," Rigo groaned. "Please."

As the sound of Rigo's words reverberated in the empty cell, another sound emanated out from somewhere beside him. It was a loud rumbling, low enough to vibrate the floor, but Rigo shot a glance over and saw nothing there that would cause it. The only thing in that corner of his cell was the brown rock.

_What was that?_ he thought, now silently, at Nabooru.

_Probably nothing good, _she said. _You should be getting used to that by now though._

The groan came again, louder this time. It was almost a croak, like it had come from an enormous bullfrog, but a sound deeper than any living bullfrog could produce. It was so odd, so _alien_, that Rigo almost didn't notice when the sound morphed into actual words. When he did realize it, it froze him on the spot.

"**Who there?"** the strange voice asked monosyllabically. The walls rumbled as it spoke in a strange sort of omnipresent basso that sounded like it had come from a god.

Rigo said nothing. He just stared, trying to find the source of the voice. He couldn't.

"**Who there!?" **it demanded again, more forcefully, and Rigo thought it might not be a good idea to simply ignore it.

"R…Rigo," he stuttered. "I'm Rigo."

"**What is 'Rigo'?"** the speaker asked, and as it did, it finally made itself known.

The brown rock began to move and Rigo quickly realized it was not actually a rock. What had started as a round stone began to uncurl, and Rigo saw limbs, two arms and two legs, emerge from beneath the hard outer shell. They pushed to the floor, and the creature rose up onto its feet and looked down, regarding him.

It was stocky and huge, easily eight feet tall, almost needing to bend over to fit in the cell. Its skin looked made of stone, or at least of a substance hard enough that it would be difficult to tell the difference. Its face was wide with big eyes and a mouth that stretched almost from ear to ear. It would have looked comical if it weren't so imposing.

"I'm a Gerudo," he said. He wished he could come up with a better answer, but that was all he had.

_What _is_ that thing?!_ he asked Nabooru in a panic.

_They're called 'Gorons,' kid. I'm guessing this one is your cellmate._

"**Gor Gurdy not know Gerudo,"** the creature said. Rigo guessed that it was referring to its own name in the third person. **"Gor Gurdy see new pointy man."**

"P…pointy man?" Rigo asked, swallowing.

"**Pointy man come. Pointy man say, 'Me live here.' Pointy man try poke sleep Gor Gurdy with sharp stick."** The goron rapped his knuckles against the wall. **"Gor Gurdy turn pointy man head to gravel."**

_He killed his last cellmate,_ Nabooru translated.

"No," Rigo said. "No, I don't want to hurt Gor Gurdy. I mean, you. I don't want to hurt you." He tried again and was able to get to his feet, and backed away the short distance across the cell.

"**No trust pointy man."**

"Please!" Rigo pleaded. "They just put me in here."

The Goron seemed to consider for a moment before asking in an almost humoring way, **"Why come?"**

Rigo thought on itquickly. If he was going to survive the next couple of minutes, he was going to have to earn this creature's respect, and that meant establishing that he was different than the others, and that he was, in fact, against them too. He'd need to make a friend.

"I…" he started, and then stopped himself. He quickly changed over into the third person to match his cellmate's speech patterns, hoping to put him more at ease. "Rigo come from desert. Long way. Come for help. But Major…Tydus…" He tried to figure out how to articulate who the Major was and what had happened, but as it turned out, he didn't need to. At the name, Gor Gurdy's head shot quickly back, before he leaned in and tilted it in a gesture of attempted understanding.

"**Boss man?"** the Goron asked.

Rigo nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, boss man. Boss man say, 'No.' Boss man say, 'Not help.' Boss man hurt Rigo." He gestured at his bandages.

_I didn't know you spoke Goron, _Nabooru teased. Rigo ignored her. Gor Gurdy just leaned in closer, apparently trying to assess the truth in Rigo's story. He eyed the sling on the boy's arm closely, and Rigo backed up another step, hitting the wall. He had nowhere else to go.

"**Boss man bad," **Gor Gurdy said.

"Yeah," Rigo agreed. "Real bad. But Rigo not just sit there. Rigo hurt boss man too."

The Goron looked surprised. **"Rigo fight boss man?!"**

Rigo nodded. "Rigo get pointy at boss man's face. Rigo put boss man down. Rigo cut boss man bad."

Gor Gurdy stared into him for what felt like eternity. It was impossible to read thought or emotion on the creature's face, so Rigo had no idea what to expect. But right when he had guessed that the creature would rather attack him then risk getting attacked itself, its mood changed. It started guffawing, loud, short laughs that sounded like two rocks banging together. It leaned back and put its hand to its stomach(?) to brace itself. Rigo allowed himself a breath.

"**Rigo no like boss man," **it said. Rigo shook his head vigorously. **"Gor Gurdy no like boss man,"** it went on. **"Rigo fight boss man. Gor Gurdy like Rigo."**

Gor Gurdy let his laughter run its course, and Rigo loosened up against the wall. He was still penned in, cornered, but it didn't look like he was going to be in any immediate danger. At least he hoped.

"**Rigo friends with Gor Gurdy?" **it asked.

Rigo nodded. "Yes. Rigo like Gor Gurdy."

The Goron smiled and smacked Rigo on the shoulder. The boy bit down on his teeth and cringed in the agonizing pain that shot down through his broken arm from the affectionate gesture. Gor Gurdy seemed oblivious to the problem.

"**Good. Good have friends. This place…hard place. Good have friends."**

The Goron walked back over to the corner it had been in when Rigo awoke and began curling itself back up, disappearing under the rocky shell that made up its back again.

"H…hey!" Rigo exclaimed, rubbing his shoulder. "Where are you going?"

"**Gor Gurdy sleep. Sleep today. Eat tomorrow. Rigo not bother Gor Gurdy. Not pointy man. Rigo not want pointy man head. Not bother."**

_Leave him alone, _Nabooru said.

_Yeah, I got that._ Rigo stood and watched the odd creature until it had completely stopped moving and again resembled nothing but an inert, unexceptional boulder. When his heart had settled down some, he went back over to his hay pile and sat back down on top it. There was nothing else to do anyway. Nowhere to go. He started throwing pieces of hay across the cell in his boredom.

_You actually handled that pretty well,_ Nabooru conceded.

Rigo shrugged. _He was just scared. Everyone's afraid of something. If you can make them less scared, they won't be so angry._

_That's valuable knowledge. You are aware that that was their first attempt to kill you though, right?_ Nabooru said.

Rigo's heard the words and tried to be shocked, but couldn't muster the energy for it. The idea of getting killed was still fairly new, but quick reflection and the whole thing made sense. Getting thrown into a prison cell, still injured, next to a monster of an inmate with a body like a rock and a history of killing other inmates. That wouldn't be a coincidence. He thought back on the conversation Nabooru had played back for him, between Tydus and the man he referred to as the "Warden," probably the warden of this very prison. Yeah, he realized. Yeah, this would be a clean, guilt-free way to get him killed and out of their hair. This was deliberate.

_I don't know if I can take much more of this, _he said to Nabooru.

_I'm not sure you have much of a choice,_ Nabooru answered. _Unless you plan on seducing the guard again._ As she said it, a Hylian soldier walked past the cell outside the bars. He was tall with a pointed jaw, riddled with stubble, and didn't show the slightest bit of interest in the cell or what was going on in it. Pretty much the complete opposite of what Ilsa had been. The idea was kind of ridiculous.

_How do I even fight against them? _he asked. _I have no idea what to do. I can't_ _fight._

_You can say that again,_ Nabooru said.

_I've gotten my ass kicked every time I've tried. The only fight I've actually _won_ is the one that you took over for me._

_What were they even teaching you at that Gerudo school, anyway? _Nabooru asked. _I'd have expected you to have some combat training? Anything?_

_Yeah,_ Rigo answered. _There's been _some_. But just the basics. I hadn't gotten so far into it, and I never prepared for anything like this._

_Hm,_ Nabooru contemplated. _Well, no time like the present to start learning then,_ she said.

_Ha ha, _Rigo answered. _Very funny._

_I'm not pulling your leg. If you're going to survive in this place, you're gonna need to learn how to hold your own, kid. I can show you._

_How?_ Rigo asked. _We've got no space, no weapons, and, oh yeah, you don't have a body. And if I wake up the rock monster over there, he's gonna splatter my brains against the wall. What do you want to do?_

_I'm hoping that somewhere in your limited study, you've heard of the art of meditation, right? _Nabooru asked.

Rigo rolled his eyes. _Yeah, it's like, relaxing and clearing your head and stuff, right?_

_Something like that, _Nabooru confirmed.

_I don't think I'm gonna be able to learn how to defend myself by sitting and relaxing._

_Geez, you're dense, _Nabooru said. _Don't you get it? I'm in your _head_, genius. You can come in here and meet me if you wanted. It's possible through meditation, and we can work without bothering your new friend. _

Rigo cocked an eyebrow. He was skeptical, but Nabooru sounded serious. Plus, he didn't have anything more pressing to be working on anyway, besides throwing hay. Why not give it a try?

Nabooru talked him through the initial steps of relaxing, which he had learned from Pureet before. But, he found the procedure particularly difficult given his uncomfortable situation and the amount of physical pain he had to work to drown out. Nabooru's voice helped push him through it, though. After some time, he was able to get into the right state of mind and clear his thoughts so that nothing permeated, and nothing bothered him. He reached in a place of complete emptiness.

"You made it," said the voice of Nabooru. It sounded very different here. Now that he had retreated into his own mind, he heard her more clearly, as though she were an actual voice from an actual person nearby. "Welcome to the party!"

"Nabooru?"

"The one and only, kid. Hold on, lemme hit the lights."

In an instant, sunlight shot into Rigo's mind's eye, and all the nothingness he worked so hard to achieve was filled with something new. The sun shone windows high in the walls. It glowed, orange and beautiful. Desert sun.

Rigo looked around him. The place he was in resembled the pueblo in Jirin, but it was different. The adobe was a slightly different color, the construction was not as rugged and hurried. It had the feeling of greater permanence. Of home.

This had to be the pueblo the Gerudo had used when the tribe lived in Hyrule. It must have come out of Nabooru's memory, she's the only one who could have constructed it here. The whole engagement was like stepping back in time in his own mind, to a place he'd never seen but had heard about to no end. From the wooden rafters in the ceiling to the clay pots in the walls, he thought it was beautiful.

"Really something, huh?"

Over on one side of the room, sitting on a wooden table with a banquet laid out on it, was a Gerudo woman. She was short, not much taller than Rigo himself, and wore the white of the Gerudo Stewardess, though not the crown or facemask. Her hair was styled in a tight topknot, and she held a green pear in one hand, a bite taken out of the side of it. She lounged easily, with her legs dangling from the side of the table, swaying casually.

"Nabooru?" Rigo asked again.

She grinned, took another bite of her pear, and then threw it aside. "I can only make fun of you for being slow so many times, kid," she said, and hopped to her feet. "Eventually I'll start feeling bad about it."

"What…what is this?" he asked.

"This?" she gestured around herself. "Nothing. Just a little demesne for us to practice in. You cleared your mind, I refilled it with something for the both of us. We've gotta be somewhere, after all. Might as well be somewhere nice, right?"

Rigo looked around himself, flabbergasted. The pain in his body was gone. He felt rejuvenated, and healthy. "You can teach me to fight here?"

Nabooru smiled a coy smile at him and placed her hands on her hips. "I can teach you all kinds of things you'll wanna learn."

His belly fluttered at the comment, and Nabooru, catching the boy's unease, grinned even wider. "We should get started on the parts that are gonna be _practical _first, I think_._" She snapped her fingers and the table behind her disappeared in a flash of sparkly magic, replaced in an instant by wooden shelves stocked with all manner of blades, bows, and weapons. Many were familiar. Some were not.

Nabooru thought for a moment and then selected a shortsword for herself, before turning back to Rigo. She approached him, sword in hand. "Class is in session, kid. You ready to get started?"

Rigo gulped and tried to remind himself that everything here was imaginary, and that the woman with the sword was really just trying to help him. This was training, and it was for the sole purpose of making him better at survival, and that was what he'd need in this place. Yeah, he was ready. "Let's do it," he said to Nabooru.

And so they sparred, and they practiced, and Rigo took to it well. He learned what it meant to become a fighter, to become a stronger man. He learned to defend himself and others. He listened and learned and indulged in his lessons, taking in _everything_ Nabooru had to offer.

Such is the way he chose to pass his time in the Hyrule Stockade, a time that would last five years of his life.

**END OF BOOK 1**


	25. Five Years

**BOOK 2: THE KING**

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 25: Five Years  
**By, Frank Hunter

An invariable fact of life: with youth comes stupidity. Granted, youth comes with a lot of things, many of them positive, but a great, heaping dose of stupidity is always there. Young Prince Rigo of the Gerudo had learned this lesson more thoroughly and more harshly than most. In his innocence, he'd thought he could undertake one glorious, grand adventure, to travel the sands for riches and bask in the rewards without ever taking responsibility for the consequences. He thought that he would become a king, solely because it was a title due to him and was something he'd always been promised was inevitable.

He had five long years in prison to reflect on where he had gone wrong.

Rigo's innocence and childhood were robbed from him, stolen by shadow enemies, people he didn't even really know. His destiny had simply been inconvenient to a Stewardess with dreams of glory, so he'd been trapped alone in a Temple and left to die. His appearance too closely resembled a monster to a Hylian commander, and so he was locked in a box and dangled above hungry crocodiles.

The ironic thing is that, as Rigo spent more time in that hellish place, even _he_ came to see that monster in himself. His muscles grew big and his shoulders became broader. He got taller. His height was never such that he _towered_ over others, but he came to compete with all of them. His orange curls of hair grew out, down over his shoulders, and he refused to cut them. The fiery color of his own hair was his only reminder of the desert sun, and the life he had come from.

The other inmates in the Hyrule Stockade were all wary of the boy from day one. All of them saw the legacy of Ganondorf in him, and even the most hardened of them had been taught to fear that visage since before they were old enough to even speak his name. As Rigo grew, and his appearance became even greater, more fierce, the inmates began to stay away entirely. The word even spread beyond the walls of that place, into the Castle Town outside. It became the kind of scary rumor men would pass along as they sat drinking before the evening firelight: that Ganondorf himself was in the Stockade below them, clawing to be free again.

The only times he did run into problems were when the appeal to certain inmates' wallets managed to overcome their terror.

The Warden of this place had struck an agreement with Rigo's jailor to orchestrate situations in which Rigo might be killed during day-to-day prison life. If that were to happen, the authorities would have no traceable guilt in the illegal execution of a prisoner without trial or sentence, and they would be able to cremate his body with the rest of the day's dead and finally, irrevocably, put him out of mind. The Warden supposedly paid in good rupees and privileges for inmates to try their luck at it. Rigo never found out exactly how good those privileges were, but whatever the man was offering didn't seem to be enough to keep any constant pressure on him. Only the occasional idiot tried it, and they always paid.

One of the more clever attempts came in Rigo's third year in the place. He was sixteen years old. His cellmate, a large Goron by the name of Gor Gurdy, had been pulled out of the cell for a parole hearing, something the both of them had known was nonsense. Rigo and Gurdy, after a tense initial meeting, had become fast friends and made a point of watching each other's mutual backs in this nightmare of a place. Not that Gurdy really _needed_ it, his back was made of stone, but he had stepped in on more than one attempt on Rigo's life, and Rigo had come to see the big galoot as something of a guardian angel.

But, he knew that Gurdy had earned a life sentence in the Stockade. He'd earned it in the Bazaar, up in the Castle Town Marketplace aboveground. The Goron had gotten into a heated argument over the price of some imported wares shipped in from his home at Death Mountain. When he had exhausted the shopkeeper's patience trying to underpay, the shopkeeper insulted the Goron, called him a name not usually reserved for polite company, and tried to throw him out of the store. Gurdy, in return, threw the man into his granite countertop, killing him instantly.

Gor Gurdy hadn't meant to kill the man. He was actually fairly dim witted and Rigo expected that he didn't have the mental ability to plan something like that. But, one thing the Goron had tons of was pride. You hurt his pride, and he hurt you. It was as simple as that. And, that sentiment had actually become Gurdy's own defense at his trial, which of course did not fly well with the judge. The Goron was sent to prison for life with a list of good behavior stipulations as long as his arm. Following that, he killed his first cellmate. It was in self-defense, but that didn't matter in the slightest to the powers that be.

In short, there was no chance he'd be getting parole. He was pulled out simply so Rigo would be alone.

While Gor Gurdy was gone, the guards came again, and dropped off a man in the cell. "New cellmate," the guard told Rigo curtly as he locked up and left the two of them unattended. The new man was larger than Rigo, bulkier than Rigo, and bald as an eagle. Rigo didn't even need to get worried about it. He knew immediately what game was going on here, and was prepared for it.

Plus, he had his other guardian angel looking out for him.

The man wasted no time. Once the guard was out of sight, he produced a sharpened, jagged piece of metal from the waistband of his pants, behind his back. The shiv was crude and makeshift, and didn't even have a handle. It was a weapon as dangerous to the user as it was to his victim.

As he lunged at Rigo, a familiar female voice piped up in his mind, one he had grown to listen to and trust as closely as his own conscience.

_Parry,_ it said. _Wall._

"Cake," he said back to it, out loud, in a kind of short-hand speech he had developed with her over the years. He didn't need to speak out loud for the entity to hear him, but here, he preferred it. It helped his image if he was seen talking to himself, made the others think he was certifiably insane. Made them even less willing to come after him.

Rigo dodged the man's lunge, checking the inside of his body with a hard shoulder. He grabbed the man's wrist and, in a lightning movement trained into him over the years, twisted his body and smashed the man's hand at full force against the cell wall. The jagged shiv cut into his palm and fingers at numerous places, doing serious damage to his muscles and tendons. It would likely prevent him from ever writing again with that hand. Assuming he ever could in the first place.

The man dropped the shiv and reeled back, crying in pain. Rigo took the weapon delicately between his own thumb and forefinger and slashed out himself, opening a gash on the man's chest. The man scrambled to get away, but in the tiny cell there were nowhere to go. Rigo was after him a heartbeat later, and the blade was quickly lodged deep into his assailant's abdomen. The big man gasped for air, and went down like a sack of barley, clutching at his wound.

"Hey!" the guard called. He had heard the commotion and come back, bringing three of the others with him. "You!" he yelled at Rigo. "Back away from the door, face the wall! Hands on your head!"

Rigo complied quietly, interweaving his fingers behind his head, in his hair.

_Hole, _the voice in his head said.

"Hole," Rigo agreed.

The guards came in, took Rigo's would-be-assassin away, and gave Rigo the smash to the side of the head he'd anticipated. When he awoke, he found that he'd been placed in solitary confinement, and was left there for two straight weeks.

Solitary didn't bother Rigo so much, as a great deal of the time he spent in the Stockade was spent in a state of isolated meditation. In the recesses of his own mind, he was able to hold counsel with the spirit of Nabooru, former Stewardess of Gerudo and Sage of Spirit, and owner of the voice in his head. Nabooru had been training him daily, and though it was all mental, the spirit's projections into his mind were so incredibly detailed and felt so incredibly _real_ that he might as well have been sparring in the Gerudo Training Center.

Over the years she had taught him all number of new things that he'd never studied before. The most prominent of these were lessons in armed and unarmed combat, and in Hylian history, though there were numerous other topics Nabooru enjoyed that were far more…pleasant. Rigo, who had seen the spirit's presence as a nuisance and a danger in his childhood, came to be immensely grateful both for and to her as he grew older. She did wonders to keep him sane.

When he finally returned to his cell at the end of his confinement, he'd never seen Gor Gurdy so relieved. The big oaf got up and toddled over to him as soon as the cell door was closed. **"Rigo live?!"** he asked in his simple way.

Rigo nodded. "Still alive," he said.

"**Ohhh,"** the Goron sighed. He took Rigo and embraced him in a hug, which made the Gerudo incredibly uncomfortable given Gurdy's previous feats of accidental strength. He tried to keep his arms between himself and the Goron, but eventually gave up and just returned the gesture, patting Gurdy on the back.

"**Not know what do. Not if Rigo gone," **Gor Gurdy said as he held Rigo. **"Rigo gone, alone again. Gor Gurdy no want. Make mad. Gor Gurdy make trouble. Gor Gurdy make them pay."**

"That's sweet of you, Gurdy," Rigo wheezed. "Can you let me breathe now?"

The Goron backed off, but didn't seem to want to stop looking at him for hours after his return. Rigo eventually was able to slip back into meditation, and the Goron back into the state of hibernation that Gorons are apparently capable of when they sleep.

The only other friend Rigo had made in the Stockade was a scrawny imp of a man by the name of Little Sid, who showed up during his second year. He got to chatting with Sid when the two pulled maintenance work together, and were forced to clean the floors throughout the prison's lengthy corridors. Rigo got the impression that Sid took his chances with him on the off chance that the other inmates' fear of Rigo would rub off. If he were the friend of the resident Gerudo, no one else would bother him. It seemed to work out well, though it was exceedingly lucky for him that Rigo was actually sane, not a criminal, and not, in fact, Ganondorf.

Sid held a rabid interest in the goings on outside of the Stockade. He always kept one pointy ear to the ground, listening for news from the Castle Town. Rigo expected it was because Sid was one of the few inmates not here for his life, or even for most of it, so he wanted to be in touch when he got out. He'd earned his sentence by being something of an obsessive. He had taken an interest in a girl in the Castle Town who was not interested in him. The girl, and her father, had rebuked his advances at every turn, but that hadn't dissuaded him in the slightest. He climbed rooftops and walls to get close to her, to try and win her over. He saw it as courting. She saw it as stalking. C'est la vie. A plea went in to the guards and, when he was caught clinging outside the girl's window, he was sentenced to seven years of hard time.

Usually when Rigo saw him, Sid had "exciting" news. "Rigo!" he'd shout when they got within earshot. The news he carried was almost always meaningless, though. Usually it had no real impact on their lives in the prison.

"Did'ya hear?" This is how he'd usually preface the actual delivery of the information. "The Zora just gave Hyrule access to _three_ of their fishing ponds! They're gonna start importing fresh Lanayrie Grouper to Castle Town!"

They didn't get to eat fish in the Stockade, so Rigo didn't care.

"Rigo, did'ya hear? Sinthia Goldrine, you know, the noble's daughter?" Rigo naturally didn't, but that wouldn't have mattered if he'd said so. "Well, she's getting married next month. To a _blacksmith_! Can you believe it?"

Rigo didn't particularly _like_ the little man, but it would take too much effort to get rid of him, and, on some level, he did enjoy the conversations they had when Sid wasn't passing rumors. Other than Nabooru, Rigo didn't really get to talk intelligently with anyone. The guards were stoic with all the prisoners, and Gor Gurdy just wasn't capable of actual conversation. So, he kept Sid around.

Life went on more or less the same for him every day. Prison is a place centered around routine, and Rigo had his. Other than the occasional bit of news from Little Sid, or the occasional attempted murder from a stranger he'd never met, it went on. And over time, he began to abdicate any expectations he'd ever had about getting out. He forgot about the adventure he'd had as a child in the Desert Temple. He even, much to his own sadness, had begun to forget the details of Amili's face, and of his grandmother's. Prison was life now, and the only thing that made it any easier was to accept that fact. And so, that's what Rigo did.


	26. Wild Rumors

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 26: Wild Rumors  
**By, Frank Hunter

It was a few months beyond Rigo's eighteenth birthday that Sid came to him with a piece of news that, although not _interesting_ on the surface, did at least have _some_ bearing over his life.

Rigo was out in the prison's small gymnasium, meditating on a rotted bench that was gradually falling off the wall. It was exponentially safer and easier to fall into his mental training sessions in the privacy of his cell, but it was beneficial to his image for the other inmates to occasionally see him sitting out and, seemingly, muttering to himself. It made them nervous.

Though he sat still, in his mind things were moving fast. In the mental training session composed for the day, Rigo had hold of a narrow, thin-bladed sword with an ivory handle in his right hand. Nabooru had a similar blade in her own hand, and the two were darting around the room, trading shots with each other, parrying, ducking, and diving across furniture and stairwells, each trying to keep up with the other, each trying to score a hit.

"Tell me," Nabooru said as she blocked an incoming swipe. "Are you still as quick out there as you are in here?" She was referring to the real world. Rigo had needed to keep up physical training on his body to realistically be able to mirror his performances on their mental battlegrounds. Nabooru, as she sadly did not have a body to maintain, did not need to do this.

Rigo hopped up on a table and lunged his sword at her while she twirled out of the way up several steps. "Why don't you come find out?"

"Ouch," Nabooru responded, feigning a wounded look. "You know I wish I could, darling."

A quick jump, and Nabooru spun into a forward flip over Rigo's head, coming down beside him on the same table. The force of it, with the combined weight of the two of them, overbore the table, and its legs collapsed, sending the two combatants sprawling to the ground. As they went down, both tried to swipe at the other, blocked each others' blades, and each grabbed the other's wrist. Nabooru came down on top of Rigo, struggling to pull her arm free of his grasp.

"You know something?" she said. "This reminds me of last night."

She took her knee and jammed it upward, powering it at the tender spot between Rigo's thighs, but he was quicker, caught her leg in his, and grinned up at her through bared teeth. He gave the spirit a headbutt to the face, a move that would likely have broken the nose of a mortal opponent and left her reeling, loosening her grip on him. He then took her and, with all his strength, threw her into the side of the stairwell that she had jumped from. She grunted as she hit and was left dazed and uncoordinated.

This was it: Rigo's chance for a killing blow. His chance to win. He scrambled to his feet and closed in on the recovering spirit, sword up for his final strike, and…

"RIGO! DID'YA HEAR!?"

The voice echoed throughout the training room in its volume, loud and utterly distracting.

"What?" Rigo looked around confused. It took a second, but he figured out who it was. "Oh, come on."

He tried to refocus on Nabooru, but the instant of distraction was enough for her to get her footing back. With an enormous smile on her face, she suddenly disappeared from where she stood. Teleportation was an ability he knew she was capable of, one he'd seen a couple of times but not one he knew how to counter.

An instant after her disappearance, Rigo felt a sharp pain at the small of his back that slid through him, and saw the end of Nabooru's sword come slicing out the front of his stomach. His mouth hung open in shock as he felt the killing blow land on him, and knew the fight was over.

"Touché," came the whispered voice of Nabooru from behind his ear. He could feel her breath on his neck she was so close.

"Damn it," Rigo swore. "Damn it. Every freakin' time."

He spun around to meet her and as he did, the sword protruding from his stomach immediately began melting, sagging and turning to warm water as it dripped down his body and to the floor. His own sword, still in hand, did the same, until both blades were gone and the place where Rigo should have been mortally wounded was nothing but a wet spot on his shirt. He and Nabooru were left facing each other unarmed. The other wore an annoying little smirk.

"We'll talk about this in a minute," he said, jabbing a finger at her.

"I'll look forward to it," Nabooru responded.

An exertion of effort and Rigo exhaled, opening his real eyelids and leaving that place and Nabooru with it. He blinked a couple of times as the image of the prison gymnasium came back to him, with its dank, dreary atmosphere and the musky smell of sweating men. A few of those were shooting nervous glances in his direction. Good.

He was not surprised at all to see the skinny form of Little Sid standing right beside him now. He looked up at the man, and the annoyance he felt must have shown on his face.

"Sorry, man," Sid said. " Did I interrupt? Were you, like, doing the sleeping thing again?"

"Meditation," Rigo corrected.

"Yeah, that," Sid said. "You do it a lot."

"Never mind about it," Rigo said. He took another deep breath to center himself back on reality. "It wasn't anything."

_Sadly, _came Nabooru's voice in his head.

"Shut up," he said out loud. Sid cocked an eyebrow at him, but didn't otherwise comment on the out-of-place directive. He had gotten used to Rigo's habit of talking to himself over the years, and wisely chose to ignore it when possible.

"Well anyway," Sid went on. "I guess you didn't hear."

"When do I ever hear, Sid?" Rigo asked.

The little man burst into giggles as though Rigo had just made the best joke he'd heard in weeks. "I hear ya, man," he said. "I hear ya. Get this." He lowered his voice conspiratorially, as though he actually minded if someone overheard his little bit of gossip. "Ya know how we're always talkin' about how _crappy_ it is in this place?"

"It's a prison," Rigo said simply. "It's supposed to be crappy."

"Well yeah, but I mean, come on." Rigo didn't respond any further, so Sid went on. "Well, apparently word got passed up the line about the lifestyle in here. Like, _way_ up the line. To the _Hyrule Royal Family_ up the line. People are gettin' worried about the _conditions_ goin' on in here, ya know?"

"You're still sore about that time they made you scrub the toilets," Rigo said. He got up and made to leave the gymnasium, to head back toward the cellblock. He really wasn't in the mood for this just now.

Sid scurried after him as he left. "There are better ways of doing that then sending a guy inside. It was horrible, man. Count your blessings you've never done it. But that's beside the point."

"What is the point?"

"This, man. Word has it that the Royal Family is sending a _representative_ in to assess the prison. They're gonna make some _changes_ around here boy, and make sure that asshole Warden is held responsible for all the stuff that's been going on."

Rigo grinned and shook his head. "So, what? You think they're gonna turn your cell into a chateau now?"

"Course not. But seriously, Rigo! Some stuff is bound to get better. More time in the gym, maybe? Fix the plumbing? Any of that'd be good news!"

"Sid, listen to me. Nothing ever gets better around here. You should know by now. Believe all this stuff when you see it, okay? Not an instant before."

"I know, man, I know. But a guy can dream, can't he?" Sid said.

"Go ahead," Rigo said. They reached the gate leading to the cellblock and Rigo checked in. Sid stayed behind to enjoy a little more of his due exercise time, so Rigo took the walk down to his cell with only the guard at his side. Once they arrived, the guard locked him inside and left, leaving him in silence. He found Gor Gurdy curled up in hibernation as he so frequently was, and so Rigo was once again alone with his thoughts. Well, his and someone else's.

_You cheated,_ he thought at Nabooru as he settled down on the straw and hay that had served as his mattress since arriving in this place.

_Eh, lighten up,_ Nabooru answered with the usual dash of sarcasm. _You put so much stock into playing fair. I thought I'd have drilled the key lesson here home a dozen times by now._

Rigo closed his eyes and, in the quiet room, was able to re-enter his meditative trance relatively quickly. Before long, the training room again began to materialize around him, though everything he and Nabooru had mussed and broken in their previous fight was now set back to right. Nabooru herself was leaning against the stairwell, arms and legs both crossed.

"What lesson is that?" he asked.

Nabooru fixed him with an amused look. "That you can never count on an opponent to fight fair. So don't."

"Yeah, I get that," Rigo said, grabbing a chair and straddling it backwards. "But you've gotta keep it at least kind of real. I mean, teleporting? Come on, Nabooru. Nobody can do that in real life."

"There are all kinds of magical abilities people can gain if they're willing to sell their souls. Or worse. It's best to be prepared, kid."

"I'm not a kid anymore," he said, irritated.

She smirked. "I know that." She pushed off the wall and stepped over to his chair.

"Who are you preparing me to fight, anyway? The worst I ever have to deal with down here are clowns with homemade knives. No magic devils. No sorcerers."

"You may have forgotten," Nabooru said, and leaned her head down beside his, "but I made a promise to help you achieve something. And I don't know what you'll need to face before you can do it. So I'm preparing you for anything."

"You're wasting your time, then," Rigo said, growing somewhat uncomfortable at this topic. "That dream's dead. I can't be a king from here."

"Don't write off your destiny just yet," Nabooru said. "It's not over until it's over. Besides, I know you still believe in it, too."

"Oh yeah? How?"

"Because no matter how much I cheat, you're still trying to beat me," she said.

"I haven't managed it yet," Rigo scowled.

"But that doesn't mean it can't be done," Nabooru answered. "You keep your wits, look for the right opening, and be prepared for anything. You do that, and one of these days, you'll win."

"Hm," he grunted. He didn't have much else to contribute.

"Wanna go again?" she asked, a mischievous glint in her eye.

Rigo looked up at her. She was already holding a double-bladed polearm in one hand, which had apparently materialized there out of nothing. Rigo grinned and pushed up off his chair.

"No rest for the wicked, huh?" he asked.

"Not for you, anyway," said Nabooru.

They continued sparring into the night.


	27. The Royal Inspection

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 27: The Royal Inspection  
**By, Frank Hunter

It turned out Little Sid's information wasn't bad. The Hyrule Royal Family, in response to public concern over disease currently spread by rats from the Stockade, had decided to send an emissary to the prison to assess the conditions and mandate any fixes or changes that needed to be carried out. It wasn't long before the whole prison knew about the impending visit.

The guards had made all the inmates aware that, on the date of the visit, they were to be on their best behavior. Misbehavior would be punished to the fullest extent permitted, which usually meant time in solitary confinement or, if the guards were feeling particularly bold, a beating for the prisoner in question. Rigo doubted if there would be any behavior problems. Most wouldn't find the opportunity worth it.

On the day of the event, a guard came to Rigo's cell door with orders for both prisoners to report to a cleaning crew, assigned to the main room of the building's barracks. "Come on," the guard prompted as he opened up the locks and waited for Gor Gurdy to uncurl and get groggily to his feet.

They were marched down corridor after corridor until they reached the large hall at the front of the barracks that they were supposed to be cleaning that was an immense dark room with branches of corridors stemming off of it and levels of balconies overhead. A whole group of prisoners trickled in, about forty total, and Rigo was mildly surprised to find Little Sid among them as well.

"Got you too, huh?" Sid asked him as they came together.

Rigo nodded. "Yeah. This is weird. They never have such big cleaning groups."

"Well, we never usually clean _this_ room, either. They probably wanna show off how efficient and organized their maintenance programs are. I bet they've got other groups around here pretending to be busy too."

"**Wish let Gor Gurdy sleep,"** the Goron mumbled beside them.** "Gor Gurdy tired. Grumpy."**

"I hear ya, big guy," Sid said, rapping Gurdy on the back.

Rigo directed his confusion inward, to Nabooru. He asked what she thought was going on.

_They just want to make a good impression,_ Nabooru confirmed. _Though I think it's a sure thing that they wanted _you_ out of your cell for this. You're their dirty little secret. If the emissary takes a tour of the cellblock, they could wind up face-to-face with you, and then those filthy bastards would have something to explain._

_Hiding me in plain sight?_ Rigo asked.

_Exactly. You're in a big group of people here. No one will look too closely at you when they pass by. Probably won't see anything out of the ordinary. Plus, I doubt you're the only one who's in here for political reasons. They don't want the Royals to get a good look at anyone they might recognize._

As the guards got them started, a few standing around and watching over the inmates, it became very clear that their priorities were only on keeping the inmates busy, and not on making any progress with the actual cleaning. Rigo and Gurdy had been given rags, with which to go over the walls and remove a thick layer of grime that had accumulated over the years. Sid was given a mop and set to work on the floor. And work they did. In the same place. Continually. Without stop.

"You know, if you let me get some of the dirt over there, we might get outta here quicker," Sid complained to the overseer, who obviously wasn't concerned at all about leaving.

"You missed a spot," he said to Sid, without indicating where that might be.

"No I didn't!" he complained.

"Get back to work," the overseer said.

Sid rolled his eyes and continued mopping the already cleaned area of the floor. He mopped over to where Rigo and Gurdy were occupied on the already cleaned area of the wall.

"These are exactly the conditions I was talking about," he muttered.

As they continued cleaning without progress, a loud CLANG! echoed throughout the expansive chamber. It was the deadbolt on a door, set above them on one of the balconies. Rigo looked up over his shoulder at it. There was a landing set high on one wall that spanned the length of the wall. It looked like the two doors leading onto it would grant access to the higher levels of both the cellblock and the maintenance facilities, allowing individuals to pass between the two sections of the prison without coming further downstairs.

The unlocked door began to pull open, scraping loudly along the concrete of the floor as it did, and Rigo could see a group of people standing behind it. The emissary was here then. They were coming through now.

As the party began to enter the room, Rigo heard a voice projecting loudly and clearly to the rest of the group. It was that of a man, and one he recognized.

"As you can see in here, the Warden has recently instituted a productivity program, in which the inmates are required to work to keep all areas of this facility in shining order. Here's a cleaning crew now. Just look at the progress they're making."

Rigo gritted his teeth and clenched down on his rag as the owner of the voice stepped through the door. He'd have recognized him anywhere, with his blazing eyes, short beard, and distinctive scar running the length of his left cheek. That last one had been Rigo's doing.

It was Tydus.

"**Boss man,"** Gurdy rumbled.

"Yeah," Rigo agreed. He hadn't seen the man that had thrown him in here since the day he'd given him that scar, but none of the enmity he felt toward Tydus had dissipated in that time. Given a few minutes alone with the big man, he'd do much worse than a tiny little beauty mark on his face. Never before had Rigo seen someone and so genuinely felt a desire to end their life. He had changed.

As Tydus stepped out onto the balcony, another person came right behind him, followed by a cadre of Hylian guards. Rigo assumed that must have been the emissary. It was a woman, slight of build and incredibly old. Rigo suspected that she could have easily been in her nineties. She walked with the aid of a cane, but still managed to look important and dignified as she did. Her shoulders were held high, and she wore a long dress of pure white with purple accents down the front, and a tiara adorned with precious jewels that brought back vivid memories of a treasure vault from long ago.

"Sweet _Din_," Little Sid muttered as he continuously mopped the floor by Rigo's feet. "Our lives really _are_ gonna get better!"

"Why?" Rigo whispered, turning back to the wall inconspicuously and scrubbing his rag in circles over it. "Who is that?"

"Who is…_who is that_?!" he asked incredulously, a little too loudly.

"Quiet there!" the overseer shouted at him, and Sid bit his tongue. He lowered his voice back to a whisper and turned his back to the guard.

"She's a _legend_, man," Sid said.

"I know too many legends to keep them straight," Rigo said.

"Dude, that right there is the _Queen of Hyrule_. And not just _any_ queen, she's the _best_ one we've had in who _knows_ how long. She's fair, she's just, and she _cares _about the people. If _anyone_ is gonna make things better for us, she will."

The Queen looked over the group and finally spoke up in response to Tydus's praising of the prisoners' work ethic. "It seems to me," she said. "That it would have made sense to _keep_ the building sanitary instead of allowing it to fall into squalor in the first place."

Tydus answered immediately. "Understandable, m'lady, but…"

"The level of _filth_ coming out of this place is a danger not only to the people in here, and they are _people_ Colonel, regardless of how you view them, but also the citizens of Castle Town."

Colonel. So, he'd gotten a promotion since their last little chat.

"I understand that, m'lady," Tydus said, obviously biting back the response he'd have liked to give. "But we've had other concerns as of late. I'm only just able to put my attention into this."

"It's possible we may have to relieve you of some of your new duties, then," the Queen went on, "if you are unable to keep on top of everything. This is unacceptable."

"Yes," Sid hissed. "Stick it to him, Zelda!"

At the sound of the name, Rigo's ears perked up. "What did you say?"

"That's her name," Sid elaborated. "Queen Zelda. You know, the one who helped the Hero fight off 'you know who,' way back?"

"That can't be Zelda," Rigo said, now getting too animated, looking back at her and standing up straight.

The overseer stalked back over to them, trying hard to look large and overbearing. "The next person to stop cleaning is going to earn themselves a week of solitary. Shut your traps and get back to work!"

Rigo turned away, back to the wall. _That can't be the Zelda that fought Ganondorf,_ he said to Nabooru. _How old would that make her?_

_She's not the Princess Zelda I knew, _Nabooru confirmed. _But we've both heard about the Twilight Incident that happened seventy-five years back. The name 'Zelda' is like a title that is given to the first-born princess of the Royal Family, and it comes with a set of responsibilities. If Ganondorf did attack Hyrule from Twilight, she looks old enough to be the one who stood against him then._

Tydus collected himself, still holding his head high, and answered the Queen with whatever pride he could muster. "Rest assured, m'lady, I am well on top of Hyrule's well-being. This sort of problem won't happen again."

"I'd like to know why I should expect that," Zelda said.

"Because," Tydus answered reassuringly, "In a matter of days I'll have the situation in the desert resolved. Then, I can focus all my attention in Town, and reassign several of our best officers to domestic positions here. We'll have much more manpower."

Rigo cocked his head, and tried to resist looking back up at the balcony, lest the overseer drag him away prematurely. Situation in the desert?

He leaned over to Sid and whispered, "Do you have any idea what they're talking about?"

"Of course," he said. "Didn't ya hear?"

Rigo sighed. "No, Sid, I didn't hear. Just tell me."

"Okay. It just seems like something you would have heard about, that's all. There's been activity for the first time in a long time out by the Arbiter's Grounds, some old prison out in the desert. People have started showing up out there. No one knows who it is, but everyone's on edge. They think it's, you know." He tapped Rigo on the back with a finger. "_Your_ people. They think maybe _he's_ coming back."

Rigo froze. "There are…_Gerudo_ in the desert?"

"That's what I heard, anyway," Sid said.

Rigo didn't know what to say. What to _do_. If there was activity in the desert, that meant that his people were finally back. That _Sooru_ had come back, likely seeking the Waters of Nayru as she had talked about the last time he'd seen her. And if the Hylians were nervous, it was entirely possible that they'd all be on the brink of war before long. The war that could mean devestation for his people.

_This is bad news,_ he said to Nabooru.

_Yeah it is, _she agreed. _If your Stewardess still has the Chalice, she'll be wanting to march straight into Hyrule. Your buff buddy up there won't like that too much._

_We've gotta do something._

_Well, your best chance of mediating this problem is currently walking out of the room, _Nabooru said. Rigo looked up to the balcony and saw that Tydus and Zelda, still conversing, were turning and walking casually toward the other door. In another minute, they'd both be gone.

"Zelda," he said out loud. "I need to talk to Zelda."

Little Sid snorted. "Yeah, right," he said. "And I need a rare steak and a bottle of wine. It ain't gonna happen."

Rigo threw down his rag and turned around. "I need to talk to her right now."

"Rigo!" Sid hissed. "Have you lost your mind? Keep working!"

"Zelda!" he shouted at the balcony. "Queen Zelda!'

If she'd heard the call, she ignored it. Rigo guessed that other inmates had been yelling at her all morning. The overseer didn't ignore it, though. He came storming back toward Rigo and drew his sword. He brought two other guards in tow.

"Alright," the overseer said. "That does it. You two right there!" He pointed at Rigo and Sid. "Solitary. One week, starting right now!"

"What!?" Sid babbled. "But I…but he…"

"Zelda! Zelda!?" Rigo called again, to no avail.

"Make it two weeks for this one," the overseer said as he closed in on Rigo. "Get over here, prisoner."

Rigo tried to avoid them, but they reached out to take him by the arms. As they grabbed at him, though, something else grabbed _them_. Something bigger.

"Hey!" one of the guards shouted, just before he was flung across the room and into the wall under the balcony. Rigo looked back and saw Gor Gurdy standing tall behind him, holding the second guard.

"**Rigo need talk." **he said simply. **"Talk fast." **And he kicked the second guard down to the floor in a crumbled heap.

The other prisoners had seen what Gor Gurdy did and cheered. This, they decided, this would be an excellent time for some payback against the guards who had been making their lives miserable and difficult. A riot instantaneously broke out in the room, as the prisoners challenged the guards' blades with their mops, brooms, and buckets. It was a ridiculous spectacle, but it was exactly what Rigo needed.

"Thanks, Gurdy," he said. The Goron had curled up into a ball and, in a feat Rigo hadn't seen him do before, began rolling through the room at speed, chasing and running down guards where he could, and hitting other inmates indiscriminately. He was faster at this than he had any right to be, considering how lumbering he usually was.

Rigo took immediate advantage of the chaos. Zelda and Tydus had stopped momentarily, taken aback by the sudden outbreak of violence below, and so both had their attention focused on the mob. As such, Rigo stepped out in front of it all, a tall, powerful figure, vibrant in his motionlessness and his bright orange hair. He stood with his fists balled at his sides, with all the muscles of his body tensed as he called out one last time.

"QUEEN ZELDA!" came his voice, which rang over the crowd. "THE RIGHTFUL KING AND HEIR OF GERUDO DEMANDS AN IMMEDIATE AUDIENCE WITH YOU TO DISCUSS THE TERMS OF OUR SURRENDER!"

That got her attention.


	28. Parley

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 28: Parley  
**By, Frank Hunter

When the riot was finally quelled, the guards were given explicit orders to restrain the alleged Gerudo King and transport him upstairs, unharmed, into the soldiers' quarters on the upper floors of the Stockade. They were to hold him there until the Queen arrived, and they did.

Rigo felt a tingling excitement at the events of the day. It was the first time in a long time that he did. There was no need for that particular emotion in prison, no reason to ever feel positively about anything really. For the last five years, he had drifted by as best he was able, but rarely felt genuinely good. But now…now he had gotten back to himself. He had caused trouble again. His sense of purpose had been somewhat restored. Now he just needed to make sure his meeting with the Queen worked in his favor.

And, in going up to the higher levels, he got another opportunity he hadn't expected: the chance to look out the window again for the first time in years. He hadn't realized how much he missed sunlight. He sat there, at an unexceptional table, both hands shackled to the arms of his chair, and barely noticed any of it because outside the window, the sun was shining bright, and the golden light was coming in and warmly licking at the side of his face. It was beautiful.

When Queen Zelda finally entered the room, half-dozen guards came in behind her and fanned out along the wall. Colonel Tydus still accompanied her, just off to her right. From the glint in his eye, Rigo suspected he would be just as happy as Rigo to murder the other. Tydus had, of course, been trying his best indirectly throughout the course of Rigo's sentence. It had to eat him up inside that nothing had worked, that this boy had grown into a man and this man was now sitting before him more capable than ever.

The Queen slowly hobbled to the table on her cane and took a seat across from Rigo, keeping her eyes on him the whole time. Tydus stood at her side. Up close, Rigo had to admire the features of the Queen's face. Though her complexion was aged and her hair grayed, her eyes conveyed a look of the utmost concern, even through her obvious unease at being this close to Rigo. She was a compassionate person. And Rigo could also see that, in her youth when her skin was tighter and she had more of the energy of life about her, she must have also been a beautiful woman.

Rigo tried not to give away any of his own nervousness. Now that he had her attention, he wasn't sure what to do with it.

He swallowed, and decided to begin respectfully. "M'lady," he said, and bowed his head.

She nodded back at him. "Lord Gerudo," she said. "You are…_not_ Ganondorf. Obviously."

Rigo smiled. "No," he said. "No, I'm Rigo, and I mean you no harm. I actually understand that you have seen our previous king more recently than we have, actually."

The Colonel scoffed. "My Queen, please. Do not feed into this farce. This man is nothing but a liar and a criminal. He is dangerous. He should be returned to his cell immediately."

A flash of stress pulled at Zelda's eyelids and, with an effort, she turned her frail body back to look at Tydus. "Colonel, humor me please. Are you familiar with the Gerudo tribe at all? Do you know their people or their culture?"

Tydus all but glared down at her. "With all due respect, m'lady, I am _familiar_ with the only Gerudo that's ever mattered to the people of Hyrule."

"Then you're not aware," Zelda went on, "that the Gerudo, by nature, give birth to only one baby boy per century. That their religion dictates that boy be made their king."

Tydus said nothing, just turned his eyes on Rigo who met him with his own level stare.

"The mere fact of this man's existence means he _is_ the Gerudo King, and the _successor_ of Ganondorf, not his _shadow_," Zelda said. "So, please. If you _insist_ on being present for this conference, I would ask you treat him with respect."

"Yes, m'lady," Tydus said, through gritted teeth.

_She's smart, huh?_ Nabooru commented. _That'll save some time._

Rigo remained silent through all of this, until Zelda turned forward in her chair again and regarded him.

"We have not heard from the Gerudo tribe for generations. I'd like to know how you came here," said Zelda.

Rigo considered what to tell her. He hadn't had much preparation time to come up with a plausible story, and he got the impression that the Queen was a particularly wise woman. She would be able to tell without trouble if he was lying to her on a whim. And, as the situation for both him and his people seemed to be about as bad as it could possibly be, he didn't have much to lose. He decided to do something grossly unfamiliar to him, something he'd traditionally avoided but felt the situation called for.

He decided to tell her the truth.

"It was five years ago," Rigo said. "In my childhood, I'd wanted to take a pilgrimage to the old Temple in the desert, to reclaim some of the treasure my people had abandoned there."

Zelda shook her head. "The Spirit Temple was converted to a prison after the Gerudo left it. It's called the 'Arbiter's Grounds' now. Nothing your people left there would still be there."

Rigo smiled. "With all due respect, m'lady, our vault was secure. I did find it."

He could see all manner of condescension and protest the Colonel wanted to voice flash across his face. Overall, Rigo suspected it was mostly an intense frustration that he was giving Zelda so willingly the information that he had refused Tydus when they'd first met.

"There was a small score of treasure I pulled from the vault. I'd intended to bring it back to our current settlement."

"Which is _where_, exactly?" Tydus cut in.

Rigo glared up at him. "Somewhere," he said simply.

Tydus flushed. He looked ready to lash out, but before he could get too heated, Zelda continued. "So how did you end up in the Stockade?"

"I had a few setbacks. I lost my supplies, and came to Hyrule to rest and restock for my trip home. But when I got here, I was detained, interrogated, and imprisoned without trial or cause. I've been in here ever since."

Zelda narrowed her eyes. "Do you know _who_ did this to you?"

Ah, now this was interesting. Without any difficulty whatsoever, Rigo could point his finger straight at Tydus and accuse the man of everything. If the Queen believed him, he could cost Tydus his rank, his conscription, possibly even his freedom. The thought of him going into the Stockade with Gor Gurdy and the other murderers and madmen gunning for him was appealing as all hell. He'd have paid good money just to _watch_ after all he'd been through.

On the other hand, Tydus was a cunning man. He'd already shown that he was comfortable lying and scheming to get what he wanted. If Rigo accused him, he'd likely flat out deny it. He'd probably have all manner of alibis and scapegoats to show that he couldn't have been responsible, and if the Queen believed _him_, it would paint Rigo as a liar and likely affect his chances of getting anything out of this.

He avoided the Colonel's eyes as he answered Zelda. "No," he said. "I'd never met the man before, and haven't seen him since. I have no idea who he was."

"If I may suggest," Tydus interrupted. "Any new incarceration would at least have to go through the Warden. If something foul _has_ happened here, he would know about it."

The Queen glanced over at him.

"I'll take the lead on this investigation. I am prepared to make clearing up this…_obvious _misunderstanding my highest priority," Tydus added.

"No," Zelda said curtly. "I'd rather give the investigation to someone less _involved_ with the prison system. You understand, Colonel. Though, I'd rest a little more easily if I knew you were planning to _cooperate_ with my investigators as fully as possible."

Rigo tried to keep a smirk off his face. This was great. There was already tension here. Very obvious tension. Maybe, just maybe, the Colonel would get himself in trouble even without Rigo's help.

"Of course, m'lady," Tydus said.

The conversation again returned to Rigo, who greeted it warmly. "You'd said you wanted to negotiate a surrender," Zelda said. "What did you mean?"

"I heard you were seeing my people out in the desert," Rigo said.

"That's not for certain," said Zelda.

"But it is likely," Rigo injected.

"You've been imprisoned for five years now, you said?" Zelda asked. Rigo confirmed. "So how would you know anything about the movements of the Gerudo now?"

Rigo considered how to present the situation to her.

"Maybe I should elaborate on what I said before. The setbacks I had in the desert were caused by one of my own. The Gerudo Stewardess Sooru. She's the woman trusted to watch the throne until I was of age. She went for a power grab. She's the one who left me stranded."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Zelda said. "But I'm not sure how it ties in."

"When Sooru took my recovered treasure, she found something there that she was interested in. It was a relic that must have come from Hyrule during a war or conflict sometime in the past. You may know of it. It's a cup. A chalice, actually, silver with beautiful blue sapphires inset into it. When you look at it, it feels like it's…drawing you in, that's the only way I know how to describe it."

The Queen watched him with rapt attention. She ran her fingers over her collar and began inching a gold chain out from beneath her dress's neckline. When it pulled free, Rigo noticed that the chain had three small pendants hanging from the bottom of it, set with stones of green, blue, and red. The blue one was a familiar design, five-sided sapphires set in a triangular formation. Zelda held that one up.

"The jewels on the chalice," Zelda asked. "Did they resemble this?"

Rigo nodded. "That's it."

"The Chalice of Nayru," Zelda muttered. As she said it, there was a sense about her, as though the rest of the world had disappeared entirely. She obviously had deep reverence for the name.

"That's what I think," Rigo agreed.

Tydus, who had been holding his tongue for too long, finally let loose his opinion. "This is utter poppycock! The Chalice of Nayru is nothing but a bedtime story for children. Fountain of Youth nonsense without a basis in reality. It's not an actual cup."

"Your goddesses' Triforce was just a fantasy too," Rigo retorted. "That turned out to be pretty real though, didn't it?"

"Be that as it may, your uneducated impression of a _cup_ you found in the _sand_ doesn't make it a relic of the goddesses."

"It doesn't _matter_!" Rigo snapped at him, raising his voice to a shout accidentally. He hadn't realized how much the Colonel had been irritating him. The Colonel, also, had not expected the outburst and took a step backward with a hand to his sword's hilt, the flight-or-fight reflex at work.

"It doesn't matter," Rigo repeated, calming himself. He focused again on Zelda. She was, after all, the one who mattered here. "The cup either _is_ the Chalice or it _isn't_. It doesn't matter. The point is Sooru _thinks_ it is. When she took it from me five years ago, she said it would help her bring the Gerudo to power again."

The old Queen's eyes just bored into him, encouraging him to continue. He could see her soul drinking up the information he was giving her, balancing it on some eternal scale that would determine the proper outcome once she had all the facts.

"I think that she's back now with an army," Rigo went on. "I think she's planning to march straight into Hyrule to find the Waters of Nayru, and whether they're real or not, I think that if she does that, you're going to do everything in your power to stop her. Zelda, thousands of people on both sides will die if we allow this to happen, and that's the _best_-case scenario! If Sooru actually _found _the Waters…"

"The Waters are _fantasy," _Tydus scoffed.

"The Waters," Zelda interjected, "are safe."

Both Rigo and Tydus did a double take at that. They both stared into the Queen as if she'd grown a second head.

"The Waters are locked away in the Sacred Realm, to which there is only one known entrance. That entrance is sealed, and cannot be unsealed by any individual with a selfish heart or intentions for evil. And even _if_ the entrance were breached, it would need to be the _real_ Chalice in order for your Stewardess to raise Nayru's Fountain." Zelda leaned forward in her chair. "I find it unlikely that she would be able to reach the Waters. However, I agree with you, young King. If she tries, it will be in an act of war against the Kingdom of Hyrule, and we will have to respond in turn."

They stared at each other for a long moment, as Zelda let her words sink in. Finally, she said, "The Chalice needs to be recovered. It needs to be kept safe, and out of reach. What would you suggest?"

Rigo had thought long and hard on this. The real question, after all, was, "What do you want?" If there was anything he knew the answer to, it was that.

"I would request, humbly, that you release me from this prison immediately, and accompany me back into the desert to confront the Gerudo. Once there, I will expose whatever lies Sooru has told to my people about me, and show them that I am alive and of proper age. I will rightfully take the crown from her. If you can put me in a position to do that, once I've replaced Sooru, my first act as King will be to gift the Chalice of Nayru to Hyrule, as a token of our nations' renewed relationship. On the condition that it again be sealed away by your magic. In return, I would ask that you allow my people to leave through the desert, just as they came. I'll return them home, and you will never hear from us again. Not under my rule."

Zelda considered Rigo's proposal. From her point of view, it was fairly airtight, especially considering the notion that war was on their doorstep already.

"It seems to me," she said finally, "that your Stewardess may not be so apt to end her reign solely upon your return."

"Then _help_ me end it without unnecessary bloodshed," Rigo said. "It's in both of our best interests."

Zelda closed her eyes, sat back, and steepled her fingers before her. It was a decision that had to be made, and one she couldn't take lightly. Rigo could appreciate that. He had, after all, been _trained_, first by Pureet and later Nabooru, in how to deal appropriately with people of stature. He would have to allow her the opportunity to make this decision and make it right.

"I'll need a little time," Zelda answered, "to determine if this course of action is in the best interest of Hyrule. And to look into the implications around your internment."

"I understand that," Rigo said.

"Then you understand I cannot release you from the Stockade until this has been cleared up?" she asked.

"I've been here five years already, m'lady," he said. "I can wait a little longer. But I stress that time really is of the essence here."

"I know," Zelda said. She pushed down on the arms of the chair and began the arduous process of getting herself up, taking cane in hand. Tydus gestured at one of the guards to open the door for them as they prepared to leave.

As Zelda worked her way out of the chair and to her feet, she shared one final thought. "Your predecessor would never have shown so much care for his own people," she said through a groan.

"I'm not him," Rigo responded.

"I'm seeing that," Zelda acknowledged. "And it gives me hope." She smiled and bowed slightly toward Rigo, who could not get up as his arms were still chained to his chair. "Farewell, young King. You will hear from me before long."

"Thank you," Rigo said.

The Queen exited the room slowly and the guards began to file out after her, but Tydus stayed behind. Alone with Rigo again, the old anger began to flood his features and he grimaced, bracing his hands on the table and leaning in toward Rigo.

"You couldn't just _die_, could you?" he growled. "Would have been too easy, would it?"

"I tell you what. Why don't you unlock these cuffs?" Rigo said, and he jerked his wrists up, jangling the attached chains. "See how easy it is. Or are you afraid I'll just balance out your other cheek?"

The Colonel's eye twitched on the side where the scar ran down his face. "Think you're clever, do you? That whole 'King of the Desert' thing may have the Queen fooled, but I know you."

"Right," Rigo said with a laugh. "You knew _nothing_ about me until you walked into this room."

"I know that you are a filthy liar and a thief. You come from a legacy of treason and dark trickery, and even if you get out of this prison, I _will_ expose you for the evil _creature_ you are, and I will personally end your miserable life."

"You know what?" Rigo asked with contemptuous amusement. "I'm looking forward to it. Bring it on."

The Colonel jammed a finger toward Rigo's face. "I shall," he said, and though Rigo attempted to hold the man's eyes through this final exchange, he couldn't help but divert his attention to the hand that was mere inches from him. The gloves that Tydus wore were silver, and speckled with jewels. Rigo knew them. He recognized them.

They were his Silver Gauntlets. Rigo scoffed as the man walked away. And he actually had the audacity to call _Rigo_ a thief.


	29. The Contract

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 29: The Contract  
**By, Frank Hunter

The Warden, as it turned out, was a very unlucky man. He was on his way home from a night of drinking in an old town pub called "Telma's" when he was accosted in an alleyway, robbed of all his belongings, and left behind a line of potted plants with his throat slit from ear to ear. He was found the next morning by Janna, the young woman who owned her grandmother's bar. It was the spark of a very traumatic day for Janna.

News reached the Stockade about the murder almost instantly, and although Rigo could not rightfully find the news surprising, he still found it disappointing. The Warden was the only other man who could have pointed a finger at Tydus and named him the reason for Rigo's illegal arrest and imprisonment. Sure, there were other guards, nurses, and staff in this place. All of them _knew_ there was a Gerudo there. But, none of them knew the circumstances of his incarceration, and all they would ever be able to tell a royal inquisitor was just that: yes he was there, no they didn't know why.

Which, of course, would have been the reason for the murder in the first place. Tydus was covering his tracks, and doing it quickly and thoroughly. Rigo was now beyond his grasp, any aggression toward him in prison would be far too suspect and traceable. But, the murder of the Warden on the outside by an unknown assailant more or less put the Colonel in the clear as long as he kept his head down. And Rigo guessed that was exactly what he would do.

Rigo wasn't summoned again for several days, which was still several days earlier than he'd expected. It only served to increase his respect for the Queen, Zelda. She obviously understood how delicate the situation in the desert could be, and was interested in ending it quickly, regardless of whether or not their best lead in Rigo's investigation had been carted away in a body bag.

This time, Rigo was to meet the Queen in the courtyard of Hyrule Castle proper. It was a more fitting meeting place, and Rigo was surprised to find that when the guards removed him from his cell, he was not to be cuffed.

"**Rigo," **Gor Gurdy said, as the cell door was unlocked. **"Rigo go?"** He was in his usual corner, but sitting, not sleeping. His big eyes just locked on to Rigo and he stared. He looked almost sad, certainly more emotional than Rigo was used to seeing from.

"It looks that way, pal," Rigo answered.

"**Rigo make promise Gor Gurdy?"**

"What promise, pal?"

The big Goron seemed to think hard on it before answering. **"Rigo ever go, Death Mountain. Big mountain. Volcano. Rigo know?"**

"I've seen it," Rigo said, thinking of that day, the first day he came to Hyrule, the sight he'd seen in the distance. The mountain with the halo.

"**Rigo ever go. Rigo find Goron Elders. One elder, find. Name, Gor Daria. Remember."**

"Gor Daria," Rigo repeated for him, and Gurdy nodded.

"**Find Gor Daria. Give Gor Daria present. Rock sirloin. Big one. She like. Give Gor Daria big Goron hug. She like, too. Tell Gor Daria, Gor Gurdy still remember. Gor Gurdy still care. Tell, Gor Gurdy still try."**

"Uhh," Rigo replied. "Yeah. Yeah, pal. If I ever make it up there, I'll do just what you said. I promise."

It was an odd request, one that brought up more questions about the Goron than he'd ever had reason to ask about before. Still trying? What could he still be trying to do? He'd been locked up in this cell for Heaven knew how long, and all he ever really seemed to want to do was sleep. But before Rigo could ask or try to learn any more, the guards were in the cell with polearms in hand, shouting for Gor Gurdy to stay in his corner, and escorting Rigo out the door and on his way.

The Goron just continued staring after him as he left, and spoke not another word. Rigo wondered if he'd ever have the opportunity to make good on his promise. He somewhat doubted it. The whole emotional ordeal had caught him somewhat off guard. Gurdy hadn't seemed to make much of Rigo's revelation on the day of the prison riot, when he'd stood up before an entire room of guards and prisoners and revealed to everyone that he was the King of Gerudo. Rigo had come to think that he hadn't been able to understand the meaning behind it, though it was possible Gurdy just didn't care. Little Sid, on the other hand, had looked like Rigo'd hit him with a brick when he said it.

"King!?" he'd exclaimed, before they were all pulled away. "When the hell were you gonna tell me!?"

Rigo had ignored him at the time. He'd had a lot on his mind and the scrawny man was far down on his list of concerns.

"Yo, if you get out, you remember to put in a good word for Sid, too. Get me outta here, will ya?" Sid had asked.

Again, Rigo had written the question off, and had not seen Sid since. After his conversation with Princess Zelda, Rigo had been kept separate of the other prisoners, under extremely close supervision. They didn't want anything unexpected to happen to him now. But, in the wake of Gurdy's surprising request and goodbye, he thought it over. He could maybe request some royal pardons as part of his release. He might have enough sway in this situation to at least get Gurdy out and send him on his way. And Sid too, he guessed.

But no. It wouldn't be worth going through the motions to allow it. Sid, the little pervert, was definitely guilty of the crime he'd been arrested for, and deserved his punishment. Plus, he'd be out in a few short years anyway, likely ready to stalk again. And Gurdy's crimes were even worse. If released into the world, it was possible, even likely, that the Goron might actually kill somebody again, even if only accidentally. Rigo couldn't take responsibility for something like that.

He'd have to just hope that Zelda made good on her initial intentions, to improve the conditions in the prison. At least that way, they could all live a little more comfortably.

Rigo was led from his cell back upstairs, to the ground floor. He could tell again by the bright windows. He was escorted to a room, and when the door was opened, he saw clothing laid out on a table inside. The clothing was vaguely familiar: hard, brown leather gear from boots to pauldrons, and a long, heavy-looking black cloak with a thick, fur trim.

"What's all this?" he asked the guard escorting him.

"Clothes," the man answered. "The things you had when you came in won't fit you now, and the Queen wanted you to be comfortable. So she asked that we replace them."

Rigo stepped in and gave a cursory look over the gear. "There's a pair of gauntlets missing," he said.

"That's all that was in the locker," the guard answered simply. Rigo didn't push the issue. He knew where his Silver Gauntlets were.

"When you're ready, just give a knock. We'll get moving," he said, and shut the door, giving Rigo some privacy.

Rigo stripped down out of his raggedy prison jumpsuit, and began to step into each piece of his new gear slowly, with care. From the undergarments to the armor, every bit fit him perfectly, and he thought it felt even cozier than his original outfit had in his youth. Someone had gone to great lengths to tailor this, probably from measurements taken from him during prison physical examinations. It was more than he'd expected.

"Still," he mumbled. "A _weapon _wouldn't have gone unappreciated."

When he was finished, he gave a knock and the guard retrieved him. He was led through another series of hallways and brought to a small stable, a room that reeked of hay and horses, and found a carriage waiting for him.

"Travelling in style, huh?" he asked the guards.

"The Queen thought it wise for you not to be exposed and visible in the marketplace," the guard said.

That was reasonable. If his appearance had been so disturbing to the inmates in the Stockade, he could only imagine what kind of fuss the ordinary citizenry of Castle Town would put up. He was getting fairly tired of the endless comparisons to Ganondorf, particularly in the context the Hylians intended for them, but there was no real way to ask them to stop nor to stop them himself. He took solice in the fact that he would be leaving soon, and it would likely be the end of it.

The ride from the Stockade in the carriage was lonely. No one sat inside with him, and there were no windows, he assumed for the sake of the citizenry again. Just once, out of curiosity, he gave the door a try and found it bolted up tight. No illusions, then. He still was not free. Not that he had expected any more, but the option to _leave _would have been nice.

The whole ordeal had Rigo feeling curious, if not particularly enthused, but that changed when he finally reached his destination. When the carriage came to a stop and the door was opened for him, he stepped out on a scene that was the complete opposite of what his life had been the last several years.

The brightness of the day accosted him at first, and he had to shield his eyes. Blue skies and green grass painted themselves across his sight in watercolors, an unfamiliar canvas that soothed away the pain of his grown life. He could _smell_ the grass. He could _hear_ birds in the trees, chirping away with carefree ease. As he stood admiring this, a large wooden gate slammed shut behind him, and he thought that if he could just ignore that, he would be in heaven.

Around the perimeter of this beautiful scene was a wall made of gray stone blocks, and just before him, in all its splendor, was a magnificent cathedral, adorned with windows of stained glass and pointed towers that spanned up into the sky. Hyrule Castle, he assumed, though he'd never actually seen it before.

"Go on," said that guardsman that had let him out of the carriage. The voice brought him back to reality. He shook his head, clearing it, and was about to ask the man where he was supposed to go, when he saw and he knew. Out in the pasture, the courtyard around the castle, he saw the woman he'd met days earlier. The Queen, Zelda, was sitting upon a small wooden bench, dressed as regally as she had been in the Stockade. Butterflies fluttered about her, seeming to accent her ease and sense of belonging in this beautiful place, and she wore a magnificent smile. Before her, digging up a long hole against a short, stone wall, was a young girl no older than seven or eight. She dug with a small, hand-held trowel, and was working tirelessly.

Rigo made his way over to the two of them, watching the girl with interest.

"No more than six inches deep, child. Don't overdo it," Zelda said, her voice bubbling with pride. Rigo stepped up beside her and watched the girl work. The little one had not even taken notice of the newcomer.

"What is she doing?" Rigo asked the Queen, who had not even looked up from the young girl.

"Gardening," Zelda answered.

"You…grow food here?" Rigo asked.

"No," Zelda said, sounding amused. "There are farms for the food. We grow flowers. This courtyard is a beautiful place. We need to ensure it stays beautiful for generations to come."

At that, the child spoke up. She spoke in that sure, knowledgeable way that only comes with the innocence of childhood. "That's why we're planting tulips and daisies and chrysanthemums," she said.

The Queen nodded approvingly. "That's right, Zelda."

Rigo's brow furrowed. "Zelda?"

"Yes," the Queen said. "It's tradition within the Hyrule Royal Family to name the first-born daughter of each generation Zelda. This striking young lady is my granddaughter."

Still without turning from her work, the young girl responded to her grandmother's introduction. "Pleased to meet you, my name is Princess Zelda Alexandria Hyrule the twenty-third," she said. It came out a little too quickly, as though it had been rehearsed.

"Nice to meet you, too," Rigo said, smiling.

The Queen rolled her eyes lightly. "Zelda," she said. "Why don't you run on inside for a few minutes. See if Impa will get you some of that lemonade you love so much."

"Okay," the child said. She put the trowel down in the dirt and stood up, brushing the dirt off her knees. She looked at Rigo once and cocked her head slightly as she did. He could see the resemblance between the young girl and her grandmother.

"You look funny," she said, before immediately scurrying off toward the castle door without waiting for an answer.

Queen Zelda and Rigo both chuckled lightly. It was nice, in the throws of all the darkness and impending horror, to be reminded of the lightness of childhood. Rigo missed the days when his biggest concern had been what to do with an afternoon. It was all farther behind him than it had any right to be.

"The garden is beautiful," he said to Zelda when the moment had passed.

"Yes," she said. "It always has been."

Rigo said no more. He didn't have much by the way of small talk at the moment, but as it turns out, he didn't have to wait long. With the little one out of earshot, she was ready to talk to him about business.

"I trust you've heard about the fate of your Warden," she said.

"Yeah," Rigo answered. "I don't guess you learned anything from him before it happened?"

"No," said Zelda. "I don't suppose you have anything else to share with me that had slipped your mind before?"

"No," said Rigo.

"A shame," Zelda said. "Of course, I do believe you. There is obviously something going on under the surface here. I just wish we had enough time to dredge it up."

"You're not the only one," Rigo said.

Zelda patted the bench beside her and Rigo sat down with the Queen. He pulled the black cloak he'd been given off and set it over the back of the bench. It was much cooler outside without it.

"Without a resolution, I'm sorry to say I cannot offer you an unconditional pardon," Zelda said. "That had been my intention, and I wish it were possible, but it is not. Unfortunately, we also cannot wait any longer to take action."

Rigo had been expecting something like this. Though he was disappointed, he was also not surprised. "What's the sudden rush?"

"I dispatched scouts to the Arbiter's Grounds following our last conversation. What they found was unsettling."

"I bet," Rigo said. "The Gerudo _are_ there, aren't they?"

Zelda nodded slowly. "We estimate about five hundred strong, the majority of which, if not the entirety, are soldiers."

Five hundred? Sooru wasn't pulling any punches here. That was a respectable force. It had to be just about every soldier and guard she could have pulled together in the whole pueblo.

"Hyrule does not maintain a standing army in times of peace. Through our own guards and volunteers, we would be lucky to pull together a force even that large. So, simply put, your Stewardess does pose a threat," Zelda said.

Rigo sighed. "Well, if you can't offer me freedom, what do you expect me to do about it?"

"I cannot release you _unconditionally,_" Zelda clarified. "But, if you were to prove your intentions publicly, I think that would be sufficient for me to pull some strings. I might be able to allow for your release _then_."

Rigo squinted at her. "I'm not following."

Zelda folded her fingers in on each other. "I will be sending whatever militia I can pull together into the desert as soon as possible. Their orders will be to stand against the Gerudo, and prevent them from entering Hyrule by any means necessary." She looked up at Rigo. "I do not wish for bloodshed on either side, but I believe this is the only reasonable course of action. Do you understand?"

Rigo could picture it, the two armies standing off against one another, each too proud to stand down. He could envision the aftermath, but he swallowed his objections. "I understand," he said, and he did.

"However, I am offering to send you into the desert _with_ them. You will accompany the Hylian militia to meet the Gerudo. You will get the opportunity to do as you've suggested, and to sway your people to your cause. And if you are able to do this, you will deliver the Chalice of Nayru safely into the hands of the Hylian commanding officer there, as you have offered."

"Yeah," Rigo said. "That's all old news."

"Listen, Rigo. This is the important part. If you _fail_ to deliver the Chalice, I cannot promise your freedom. Not only is it likely that this could erupt into a full war, but I will be forced to return you to the Stockade. And, if Hyrule is in wartime, it could take years to resume the investigation into your imprisonment. By the time the war ends, there may no longer _be_ anyone in place to investigate. Your failure in this could mean your life in prison."

Rigo felt the weight settle on his shoulder. He had been hoping for better treatment from the Queen in the course of this matter. He was more than just a prisoner, damn it. He was the King of another sovereign nation.

"What happens if I win the crown, but they don't have the Chalice?" he asked.

Zelda looked solemn. "I can't be sure in that circumstance. But, I expect, we will then have declared war on you. And you will be treated as a war criminal."

Rigo threw his hands in the air. "There's no way we can just be civil with one another, is there? Pretend that you're not holding me hostage for a silver cup?"

"This is the best I'm able to do, Rigo. There's more at stake here than just you or me.

"Agh!" Rigo groaned and stood up. He couldn't help himself from pacing in front of her. He made a few laps in silence before deciding what to say.

"Do you swear, on your throne, on your granddaughter, on _everything_ you hold dear in this life, that you will grant me freedom if I can get you the Chalice?"

Zelda nodded. "I do so swear."

"And that the Gerudo will be left alone if I can keep them from entering Hyrule?"

"Yes. Presuming you have also delivered the Chalice."

Rigo sighed. "Fine. Fine. This is not _fair_. But you have yourself a deal."

He reached out his hand to the old woman, who took it in hers, and they shook on their agreement. Though it was frustrating, when Rigo reflected on it, he couldn't come away feeling as though he'd been mistreated. Zelda had accepted his terms, all of them. She had only added consequences if they couldn't be carried out. He wouldn't run into a problem as long as he delivered what he promised. He'd just have to make sure to do it.

And if anything, he was certain that the Chalice would be there. It would be the only reason for Sooru to bring an army back here, unless she had gone off the deep end entirely. And if that was the case…well, then the whole Gerudo army might deserve to be slaughtered by the Hylians after all.


	30. The Chosen Three

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 30: The Chosen Three  
**By, Frank Hunter

For the next two days, Rigo was permitted to stay in the castle, though he was still kept confined. He was given a gorgeous, lavishly decorated room, with the softest bed he'd ever rested on. He was brought three meals each day, all of them veritable feasts with savory, satisfying foods that he wished he could identify, so that he might find them again when all of this was over. He was allowed paper books with printed words in them. Though he was initially dismayed to find that the books were written in Hylian, a language he couldn't read, he was immediately reassured when he found that Nabooru was fluent.

"You gonna be reading me bedtime stories, then?" he teased the spirit.

_I figured I'd just translate the language in your head, _she answered. _Unless you're feeling particularly lonely._

"How's that work?"

_Just watch._

At first, Rigo didn't know what he was looking for, but as he kept his eyes on the book, he saw. The letters seemed to shift around on the page as he looked at them. They didn't transform per say, but over the course of a few seconds the strange Hylian characters bunched into words and Rigo found he was able to attribute meaning to most of them. They took on a degree of familiarity despite the fact that they were grossly unfamiliar. It was confusing, and Rigo discovered that if he thought too much about it, it ceased to work and he started developing a headache, so he chose to just accept it.

Thanks to Nabooru, he now had a new favorite pastime. Books were something he'd never seen many of. The Gerudo didn't keep much by way of written works, and most of those were practical. The Hylians, on the other hand, loved their tales and legends. The books were full of stories, historical and fictional, though sometimes it was very hard to tell the difference between the two. A lot of strange and unfortunate things had seemingly fallen on the Hylians over the course of their long history. That history, though it spanned back millennia, _eons_, to the point of inception by the fabled three goddesses, seemed to culminate in the modern age as the Hylians descended from the clouds back into the land of Hyrule, which was watched over by the minor goddess Hylia. The land was plagued by two demons: the King of Evil, Demise, and his servant, Ghirahim. With the help of (Rigo couldn't believe this) the Legendary Hero, they were able to cast these demons aside and develop their kingdom here, where it still stood today.

The interesting thing, something Rigo hadn't realized, is that the so-called "Hero of Time" had not been only the enemy of his predecessor. According to the Hylians, the Hero had always appeared in some context to defend Hyrule against any sort of large-scale evil that threatened it. In all the pages of these books, there were always hints of a green-clad individual with a magical sword that would come in and save the world, a sort of Prince Charming for an entire nation. But the Hylians also believed that Ganondorf had somehow inherited the powers of Demise, which, to them, explained his abilities in sorcery and his tendency to ally with dark monsters and creatures.

If that was the case though, why should the connection stop at only the two? Most of Hylian history was marked by similar conflicts. It all could have been the same thing every time: battles between these same two powerful entities that were reincarnated again and again for no conceivable reason. And to top it off, all of these battles were typically swayed by a third individual, most often a Princess Zelda, who was responsible for bolstering the Hero in his time of need. This also explained their tradition of naming their princesses such. They did it because they always expected those princesses to fulfill a new version of this same destiny.

Rigo came across an illustration of exactly this as it had happened during the Ganondorf War. It was a picture of what appeared to be a ruined Hyrule Castle, where Ganondorf stood atop the ruins depicted as a giant tusked pig monster. The Hero ran charging at him with his shining sword in hand, and the Princess held an offering of glowing arrows of light toward the Hero as he ran into battle. Rigo traced a finger over the three figures on the page. They formed a triangle, and as he touched each of them, he spoke a name. "Din," he said as he set his finger on Ganondorf. It slid down and to the left, resting on the Hero. "Farore," he said there. Finally, he turned it right and touched on the Princess Zelda with her arms outstretched in succor to Link. "Nayru," he said finally. "Each of them embodies the core traits of one of the Hylians' three goddesses."

_Power, courage, and wisdom,_ Nabooru added. _That's right._

"But…" Rigo pondered. "According to the legends, the goddesses cooperated with one another to create the world and all the life on it."

_I thought someone once told me that the Sand Goddess created the world from the Desert of Time,_ Nabooru said snarkily.

"We're in hypothetics here," Rigo snapped. "Can you just bear with me? What I'm trying to say is that the legends _here_ all show the goddesses in _cooperation_ with one another. But here's the problem. If they really _did_ cooperate, then why is it that their representatives are always fighting each other?"

_I don't know,_ Nabooru conceded. _It's a good question. The three traits don't seem to balance perfectly with each other. Well, courage and wisdom do alright. Power stands on its own._

"Do you think something could have been written out of the legends?" Rigo asked.

_Assuming the Hylian myth of creation is actually true?_

"Yeah. I just…I have this idea."

_I'm listening,_ Nabooru said.

"What if the circumstances were different than what was recorded here? What if the three goddesses were never at peace? What if Din had been at odds with Farore and Nayru? Then you'd have these three immortal deities that just downright _fight_ with one another. Once the physical world gets created, they have a brand new arena to carry their fight over into. The one with _power_ pours herself into powerful forms. Like that of a ravaging demon. And then later…" He touched his finger down on Ganondorf again, whose pig-image was drawn on the page with an aura of fire around him. "The other two choose mortal champions from the beginning, and since they've never lost, they keep doing it the same way over and over again. Why fix what isn't broken, right?"

_The trend does stay pretty consistent._

"That would explain why these three _people_ keep coming back. Why apparent _mortals_ could reappear throughout history utter _ages_ apart. Why no matter how many times they die…"

_Only one of them ever really seems to die._ Nabooru pointed out.

"…they _keep_ coming back and doing it over again. This is why Ganondorf's wars are about more than just the Gerudo versus the Hylians. Because Ganondorf _is_ Gerudo, but that's just circumstantial. He could have been _anyone_. Any _thing_. That's just the form that Din has been trying to _make_ _work_ for the last few centuries. But it hasn't worked. And maybe she's done with him." Rigo stared down into the page, deep in thought. Connections were clicking together in his head. He didn't know if he was right about any of this, but it _felt _right. It made sense. "When _Demise_ didn't work, Din switched to something new and tried Ganondorf. Since _Ganondorf_ has failed, several times now…how long before she tries something different?"

_Are we still in hypothetics?_ Nabooru asked.

"What do you think?"

_I think you're blaspheming in a brand new religion, _Nabooru said. _But that doesn't mean it's not worth considering. What if you are right, though? So what? Only one of the representatives is here now. Ganondorf is dead, and the Hero is gone to wherever he goes. Only Nayru would be left behind now, in the form of a very, _very_ old woman. I don't think any of this is relevant to you, the Chalice, or anything really._

"No," Rigo conceded. "I guess not." But it was a nagging idea that wouldn't go away. And he couldn't help but think about it. If he were Din in this scenario, what would be his next move?

Zelda came to visit him one more time, on the second day.

When she arrived in Rigo's chamber, he had been sitting up in his bed, his back against a wall, reading one of the other books he'd been left. This one, an obvious fairy tale for children constructed around the battles between Link and Ganondorf, was called _The Windwaker_. In it, the world was flooded over, the two protagonists were children themselves, and the King of Hyrule was a boat that they rode around in, all while trying to reconstruct the power that Link would need to save the world again. It was amusing stuff. Rigo actually liked the story very much, though he was pretty sure about how it would end. When Zelda entered his room, he closed the book over and set it aside. He hoped he would have time to finish it before leaving.

"I didn't know you could read Hylian," Zelda said, hobbling over to his bed and sitting down at the foot of it. This whole situation reminded him strongly of his time in the hospital, with Ilsa.

"Neither did I," Rigo confessed. The answer made the Queen smile.

She told him what had been going on around him. The militia had been pulled together (most were on call already, ever since the first rumors of aggression from the desert), and they would be leaving at sun-up. Rigo would be summoned then to go with them.

"You're not coming?" he asked.

Zelda shook her head. "My time to travel the world is long past. My time in general will be past before long, I suspect. It's difficult getting old."

"So who's responsible for keeping an eye on me during the trip?"

"Colonel Tydus," Zelda said. As she did, she watched Rigo for a reaction, though he did his best to mask it. He had been afraid something like this would fall to Tydus. "You've met him," Zelda went on. "In the Stockade, you remember?"

"Yeah," Rigo said. "I remember. He doesn't really seem to be my biggest fan."

"Nevertheless, he has his orders to escort you to a parley with the Gerudo leader. He will do this. The man is nothing if not thorough, I promise you that," Zelda said.

"It's not his thoroughness I've got a problem with," said Rigo. His mind turned to the dead Warden.

Zelda waited to see if he would go any further with this, and he was tempted, again, to tell her the truth about Tydus and what had happened when he was thrown into the Stockade, but it would do no possible good. It would only cause problems. This way, with Tydus along for the ride, he'd just have to watch his back. That was all. He'd be going home tomorrow.

"Will we get the chance to talk again?" he asked instead, changing the subject.

"I think that depends on far too many things to tell right now," Zelda answered. "I am afraid, though, that I've set you on with the wrong impression of me. I would like to correct that. You must understand, Rigo, that so many burdens are rested on your shoulders when you rule a kingdom. These are burdens I hope you get the opportunity to share in the coming days. I don't hold any ill will toward you or your people. I hope you realize that."

Rigo thought of the legends, the revelations he'd had himself about Ganondorf during his time here. He thought he got it.

"My hand in this ordeal is forced by more factors than I'd care to admit. I'd like nothing more than to set you free, to let you go back to your people without hindrance. What I do, I do out of necessity, and necessity alone."

Rigo nodded, but still said nothing. There was really nothing to add. He understood. That didn't make his situation any better.

"Please, Rigo," Zelda said, resting a hand on his ankle. "Just get the Chalice back. That's the simplest end to all of this."

"I know," Rigo answered. "I will."

Zelda sighed and began to stand up, but Rigo reached out and took her shoulder, holding her back. "I have a question, actually," he said. "Just one, if I can?"

The Queen looked at him and sat back down. "Of course," she said. "What is it?"

He asked her. "You…were one of the three this last time, during the Twilight Incident. You fought Ganondorf alongside the Hero, didn't you?"

Zelda smiled. "A lifetime ago. Yes, I did."

"When the three of you were together in those last moments, can you tell me…what did it feel like?"

"Feel like?" Zelda asked, puzzled. "I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific."

Rigo struggled. "I mean, like, was there some sort of _connection_? Did you feel like the three of you were all part of something, like something bigger than all of you?"

"Yes, of course," Zelda answered. "That's what the Triforce _is_, Rigo. It's a power that's meant to be whole, but instead is split apart, manifested in three different individuals. We all shared in pieces of the same power, and so, in a way, we were one."

"So you could empathize with each other?" Rigo asked. He was aware that he was beyond the realm of his one question, but needed to drive on anyway. When would he get another chance to slake his curiosity?

Zelda seemed to think on the question deeply. "Yes," she said finally. "I suppose you could say that. We were laid bare. We all understood one another, our motives and intentions. At least, that was my experience."

"So…when you fought him, it felt like…what? Were you angry? Afraid?"

She thought again. Her eyes said she was taken away, to another time and place. Rigo guessed she could see all of it playing out again before her. It was a cruel thing to ask her to relive something like this, but ever since reading the books, since coming up with his theory about the ongoing struggle, he'd _needed _to ask. Zelda was the only one who could answer him.

After a time, she seemed to settle on an answer. "No," she said. "He was formidable and terrifying, but in the end, no, I was not afraid of him. I was…saddened. It's the best way to describe it. I could see how misled he was, how desperate, how wretched, and I felt, above all else, saddened that he was this way and could not be any other." When she looked back to Rigo there was a tear in her eye. It choked him up.

"I don't know if that makes sense," she said. "Why do you ask about this?"

"I'm just…" Rigo faltered. He gestured over at the small stack of books he'd been thumbing through as he was laying here. "Books," he said simply.

Zelda smiled again and wiped the teardrop from her cheek. She rose to her feet, unimpeded this time, and groaned as she did. "You should get some rest," she said back to him. "I doubt you'll have great opportunity for it in the coming days, and you won't be bothered while you are here."

"Yeah,"Rigo said, and settled down, slumping in his bed. "Thank you," he added.

"Don't," Zelda replied. "Best of luck, Rigo. May we meet again. And may the goddesses watch over you on your journey."

"And you," he answered, without really thinking about it. But, as he picked his copy of _The Windwaker_ back up and set it in his lap, he thought again. It may very well be a better trip if they just stayed out of it entirely.


	31. The Oasis Flight

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 31: The Oasis Flight  
**By, Frank Hunter

The militia was formed up and ready to leave by sunrise, and Rigo was collected before then. He had slept, but not restfully. He couldn't. His heart filled with anticipation. He wanted to get this over with, get rid of Sooru, and get back to the places and people who mattered the most.

Five hundred men strong were lined up and set to march down the drawbridge from Hyrule Castle Town. As Rigo walked toward the group, he stepped through a sea of concerned citizens, men and women who had just woken up and planned to start their days. Though he guessed many had heard the rumors of what was happening in the desert, he doubted if many knew the details, and when they saw Rigo, dressed as he was in clothing emulating that of his Gerudo heritage, he could see how concerned he made them. The presence of all the soldiers and Rigo's acceptance among them helped to make the situation more palatable, but he guessed that Zelda's decision to leave at sunrise was more than just dramatic. She'd been hoping to avoid a scene like this one.

Colonel Tydus rode alongside the infantrymen at the head of a small cavalry division, along with a few small wagons filled to capacity with eight-foot long wooden planks. As Rigo was now his direct responsibility, the Gerudo was given a horse, a large chestnut mare, and instructed to stay beside the Colonel at all times. Tydus, though he was still full of obvious venom, was now preoccupied. He was at home when he was in command of a unit of soldiers. This was clearly what he loved to do, had been _trained_ to do, and so despite their past he treated Rigo with at least some degree of gruff professionalism.

When it was time, Tydus shouted the order, and the men began to march onward, leaving Castle Town gradually behind them. They turned and made their way into a narrow rock chasm, covering the distance between the Castle and Lake Hylia. It was a different route than the one Rigo had been carried away down before. It didn't follow the river, and seemed instead to loop around north of their starting point, blocking out the view of the grand fields around Hyrule Castle and leaving nothing much to look at besides the haloed peak of Death Mountain that peeked over the lip of the crevasse. Rigo watched it as it marched along with them in the distance, thinking about Gor Gurdy and his promise to the big Goron, wishing he could go and fulfill his friend's wishes.

_Someday,_ he thought. _Someday I will. But not today._

The men marched in silence, the absolute embodiment of military discipline. As such, Rigo didn't have much trouble keeping quiet as well. There was nothing really to say, he didn't know any of these men nor was he particularly interested in their stories or opinions. He was a bit curious about the wooden planks, but not enough to share his ignorance with everyone. Unexpectedly though, Tydus was the one who finally broke the silence.

"So their commander was the one responsible for leaving you in Hyrule?" he asked.

Rigo glanced over at him. The Colonel refused to look at him, keeping his eyes straight ahead on the path and his men, but the tone was conversational enough. There was no threat or mockery in it.

"Yes," Rigo answered.

"And you want her dead?" the Colonel continued.

Rigo considered before answering. "Yes."

"And you're hoping we'll do your dirty work for you?" Tydus asked. The question sounded legitimate.

"No," Rigo said. "I'd rather it be by my hand."

The Colonel chuckled. "You think you can stomach something like that?"

Rigo glared at him. "You really don't know what life is like in that shithole you threw me into, do you?"

"You survived," Tydus said. "I suppose that counts for something."

They rode in silence for a few moments, but now it was tense. Rigo's agitation was growing. He hated the man's smugness, and his disposition. Hell, he just hated the man in general. It wasn't long before he had to say something else.

"You think you might finally be ready to be honest with me?" he challenged Tydus.

"About what?" the big man asked.

"Tell me," Rigo said. "What do you plan to do when we get out into the desert? What is it you want out of this?"

Tydus bit his lip and took a long breath of air through his nose. When he answered, Rigo was completely sure it was the most truthful statement he'd ever heard from the man's mouth. It shook him.

"I plan to kill Gerudo," Tydus said Plain and simple, no sugar coating or anything. That was what the Colonel wanted.

He continued. "I can't be sure on the _number_ of them just yet. It might be just the one, like you're hoping for. Or I might have to kill all five hundred of 'em. I expect that's the more likely scenario. But at the end of the day, I'm gonna kill as many Gerudo as necessary to make sure that Hyrule stays safe. You're a king, you say. Should understand that at least, or you ain't much of one."

Rigo's mouth opened to answer, but no sound came out. He had nothing to say about it. Here was a man casually and calmly discussing the obliteration of his entire _species_ as though it were a minor labor that just needed to be done. And Rigo should _understand_ that?

"What about the Chalice?" he asked, his voice cracking a little.

Tydus shrugged. "Get the cup or don't get the cup. I'll do what needs to be done one way or the other."

Rigo gritted his teeth. This man, this _stubborn jackass_ of a man, had such a way of complicating everything he touched. Rigo would need to be completely perfect in order to bring this whole thing to a peaceful resolution. He'd need to deliver the Chalice, to satisfy Queen Zelda's demand, and he'd have to get the Gerudo gone from the desert immediately, before this power-mad zealot could get the chance to unleash a bloodbath. This talk settled any question Rigo could ever have had, about ever coming to understand the Colonel or make peace with him. It wasn't possible. The man's paranoia, his hatred of the Gerudo, was too deeply ingrained. He would _enjoy_ it if this came to a fight.

What can you do with a man like that?

Rigo kept silent for the rest of the trip. Thankfully, Tydus didn't try to speak with him either. Rigo thought, briefly, of assassinating the man in his sleep, but wrote the idea off as foolishness. There would be no way to get away with such a thing, and chances were the rest of Tydus's unit would see it as an act of war and take it out on his people anyway.

They made camp that night, and Rigo slept under the stars in a roll-out sleeping blanket. Early the next day, they continued on and quickly made it as far as the lake. The whole body of water was bigger than Rigo had remembered it, though granted he hadn't gotten a particularly good look when he plunged into it head first in the dark. It stretched out before him in a glistening sea of sparkles, reflecting the sunlight back into the air of this beautiful day. He wished he could take the proper time to appreciate the sight of it.

The army marched out onto the lake, breaking formation somewhat to make their way around narrow ledges and across simple wooden piers. The horses had the most trouble with this, but Tydus allowed his to wade through the shallow water at the lake's shore, and the rest of the riders followed suit. The wagons were left at the back.

Their destination was a small island at the other side of the lake with two structures set on it: a colorful house and an enormous, ancient-looking cannon. The first of the group reached the island, and the single-file line of soldiers stretched back across the full length of the lake. As Rigo's horse trotted around the cannon, he caught sight of a pudgy little man sitting on the stairs of the house. When the menagerie of soldiers got within voice range, the little man seemed to spring to life. He jumped to his feet with an enormous smile on his face and held his open hands out in a gesture of showmanship. He was dressed as colorfully as his house, and made up as some sort of clown.

"Hey hey there, kiddies!" the man exclaimed, so loudly and giddily that the first horses whinnied and pulled back slightly. "Welcome to Fyer's Fliers! I'm your host, the ever-lovable Adolphus Fyer the Third! Can I interest you in a flight that'll change your li-"

"Can it, Fyer," Tydus said, without an inkling of patience. The big man let himself down from his horse and strode over to Fyer purposefully. "You were informed we'd be coming. Did you have time to prepare?"

The smile drained from Fyer's face and his shoulders seemed to slump all in one slow gradual motion. When he spoke again, the excitement was gone from his voice and a rasp had developed that was certainly not there before. "Ya know, you military folks drain all the fun outta this line'a work." The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small cylinder wrapped in paper. He brought it to his lips, produced a small flint, struck a spark, and lit a fire at the end of the cylinder. He inhaled deeply and when he exhaled, a cloud of smoke came out of his lungs, blown directly toward Tydus.

If the big man noticed, he ignored it. "Have you prepared?" he repeated.

"Prepared? Prepared what? The machine does all the work. I ain't done a Desert Oasis flight in years, but that don't mean I can't do it right now if I wanna. Ya'know who's flyin?"

Tydus turned back to the group of soldiers behind him and gestured for one to come forward. "Private Sanders, front and center."

A nondescript soldier in military uniform came forward, carefully through the throng, trying not to shake the wooden bridge leading to the island too much. "Sir," he said. In his hands he held two large, shark pieces of polished steel that resembled enormous corkscrews, each the size of a man's torso. Coiled over each shoulder were separate and very heavy-looking lengths of braided rope. As he reached Tydus, he dropped the coils of rope and tied one rope to each of the two corkscrews he held, until they were both attached like anchors. "Ready," he said, and Tydus nodded.

The soldier went to climb into the big cannon, but Fyer stopped him.

"Nah, nah," the little man said. "In the house."

Tydus looked vexed. "Can he not just use the big cannon?"

"No one can use the big cannon," Fyer said. "Freakin' thing's got too much power. Will shoot'ya clear over the desert and straight to the moon. I dunno where my grandpappy got it, but it's nothin' but a waste o' space."

Sanders confirmed with Tydus, and then stepped up the stairs into the house, carrying the two corkscrews and dropping the ropes inside so they lay coiled on the ground.

"By the way, that'll be ten rupees," Fyer said, holding his hand out to Tydus.

Tydus folded his arms. "Take it up with the Royal Family."

Fyer puffed another cloud of smoke angrily before withdrawing and grumbling to himself. "Lousy cheapskate."

The short man stepped over to a little control panel beside front door and with the push of a button the front door, a large, solid, vault-like contraption, slammed shut, cutting Private Sanders off from the world. Fyer then stepped over to another small device that looked as though it would be at home in a circus and began turning a crank.

The device came to life with joyful music and spinning colors and shapes. Rigo thought that under other circumstances he might have very much enjoyed the little show, but the presence of so many Hylian soldiers just staring into the device silently just kind of killed the enjoyment of it. "Ya'know, the _ambiance_ is usually a little better," Fyer said as he turned the crank faster and faster.

Now the house itself began to change, shifting and growing. Before long, Rigo could see the true purpose of it: the roof elongated and a second cannon sprouted from it. The cannon pointed away, across the lake at the very cliff Rigo had fallen from when he was chased by Sooru's guard. The cliff that, at the top, held the Gerudo Desert.

Without preamble, the cannon let off an earsplitting BOOM! and Rigo shielded his eyes from the sonic impact of it. He caught just a quick look at Private Sanders rocketing through the air toward the Desert. Streaming behind him were the two ropes he had brought into the cannon chamber with him. They were remarkably long, it turned out, spanning the entire length of the lake from the cliff to the island. When Sanders finally reached his destination, the ropes went sack and drooped down into the water.

Tydus began barking orders and the unit immediately came to life. Rigo quickly guided his horse out of the way to watch the procedure unfolding before him.

Two soldiers stripped out of their armor and swam out into the lake to collect the ropes that were sagging down from the lip of the cannon. Once acquired, they pulled on the ropes, sliding them out from the cannon until the ends came free. With the ends in hand, the soldiers swam back to the island.

Two more of the corkscrew-things were produced, and the soldiers tied these ends of the ropes to them. When the knots were tight and solid, the corskscrews were pulled back until the ropes went taut. Then, two more soldiers came forward to begin driving the screws into the hard, rocky ground at the center of the island. They went down deep, and the effort was exhausting. The soldiers were sweating and breathing hard by the end of it. Rigo couldn't help but feel sorry for Private Sanders, who was likely responsible for driving in both of the other two ends up on the cliff.

While this was done, the rest of the unit began passing the wooden planks forward, one by one, from the beach where they'd left the wagons. The soldiers at the front of the unit collected them as they made their way forward down the assembly line, and began connecting them to each other by the rails until the planks made one long, uninterrupted length of wood. This took a significant amount of time, enough for Fyer to smoke two more of the little sticks and ask Tydus if he'd ever tested something like this out before. Tydus ignored him.

Once the ropes were taut and all the planks were lined up and attached, a final length of rope was tied to the center of the first plank. One private climbed the side of Fyer's little house and dropped the other end of that rope down into the mouth of the cannon. It visibly hung down into the main room of the little house when Fyer reopened the door. A second private went back into the house and tied that length of rope around his waist and waited. Finally, a third stepped up to the wooden planks and set the first several of them up on the two ropes. The ropes ran parallel to each other, and the rails on the bottom of the wood planks fit them perfectly. Once on, the planks would not come unhooked easily, and as the private slid one plank up the length of rope, the next plank linked to it would slide up and into place behind it, almost automatically.

Before long, all this was done, and Tydus gave Fyer the order to go forward again. The little man wobbled back over to his control panel, closed the door, and began turning the crank. The ridiculous circus music began again, the wildly situation-inappropriate colors and images flashed around and around in circles, and this time Rigo was ready when the BOOM! came from the cannon. He covered his ears and watched as the second man was launched into the sky. This time, though, he was attached to the wooden planks, and as he went, the rope around his waist pulled at them and they went with him.

The planks slid up the length of rope at the speed of a racing cannonball. They shot up and up, and Rigo could see the whole thing come together: a bridge, eight feet wide, that led straight up into the desert from the lake. It didn't look like the most sturdy thing in the world, but it would hold so long as the men didn't try to walk too many at a time.

Rigo and Tydus were among the first to go, though a few of the lowliest privates went ahead to make sure the bridge was safe, and to fix any of the planks that had popped loose during the construction. It seemed like there were quite a few.

When it was Rigo's turn, Tydus instructed him to walk his horse behind him slowly. "If you lose that animal, there will be consequences," he said, and Rigo rolled his eyes. The bridge was surprisingly tight enough to be walkable, if not exactly comfortable. The horse was uneasy, but continued in the straight line over the water and up the incline until, finally, the two of them reached the desert at the top.

Much of the rest of that day was spent waiting for the unit to reform at the top of the bridge, but Rigo didn't pay any of it much mind. He stepped forward, off the rocky crags that made up the cliff face, until his boots set down on soft sand. When he felt it, that familiar, nurturing softness under his feet, he fell to his knees and scooped up handfuls of the stuff, letting it run through his fingers and fall into piles at his sides. The sun had risen high in the sky, and even just this short distance from the lake, he could feel the heat of it beating on him. A tear came to his eye, and then another, and he pressed the warm sand to his face. After all this time, through the trials and dangers of his life in Hyrule, he had finally, auspiciously, returned home.


	32. Out With the Old

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 32: Out With the Old  
**By, Frank Hunter

It was late when the Hylian army regrouped at the entrance to the desert, and they spent one final night there before the inevitable confrontation. Many of the men were uncomfortable on the sand. Rigo could hear them complaining, and it made sense. The whole environment was foreign to them, much as the grassy fields and rivers had been foreign to Rigo when he had first encountered them. Plus, the desert and the Gerudo brought their own imagined threats to Hylian imaginations. It was never a place these people could tread lightly.

When the sun rose over the golden sea of sand, Rigo was already awake and staring off into it. Somewhere beyond all of this was Jirin, the only place left in the world he really wanted to go, which he felt was ironic considering how eager he had been to leave. Closer though, within eyesight as the light became brighter, stood the Arbiter's Grounds, a colossal monument above the sand. The sight of it brought back the more recent memories of his childhood and all the pain of his adolescent life. It strengthened his resolve even further. He knew what he had to do. He knew that before this day was over, blood was going to be spilt, and he would make sure that it was Sooru who paid the price for everything that had happened to him. And if it came down to it, he would protect his people from Tydus. No matter the cost.

The militia roused steadily and the men prepared a simple meal for themselves. When that was done, they grouped again into the solid, military formation they had held when they left the Castle Town, and Tydus marched them forward. Zelda's scouts must have informed him precisely where the Gerudo were camping. At first, Rigo had thought the site would have been near the Arbiter's Grounds. What else was there out here to settle in? But, as they marched onward, Tydus turned them away prematurely, into a small, hidden path tucked into a rock face. The army marched down, through a twisting road that looked as though at one point it had been widely traveled but had fallen into abandonment years ago.

At one point on their trek they reached a deep valley. Below them, far below, flowed the waters of one of Lake Hylia's many tributaries, but the impressive gap didn't matter to Rigo. The only significant part of the chasm was that a makeshift bridge had already been constructed over it. If Rigo had needed any more evidence that there was real activity here, that was it. And excitement began to build up in him despite himself. He had a sneaking suspicion of what would be at the end of this road.

Over the bridge and around another corner, his suspicion turned out to be correct.

As the rock face to their right cleared away, the army marched up on something that Rigo had not expected in all his life to stand before. The building there was familiar in its construction, adobe and clay, though it had fallen into a state of disrepair. Pieces of the walls were broken, some boarded up. Some parts of the settlement were collapsed in on themselves. It looked as though a battle may have happened here at some point, considering all the scraps and rubble that was strewn about, and Rigo knew that was exactly what had happened. It was here that the Gerudo had made their last stand before being driven out of Hyrule and into Jirin, here that their home and their livelihood had stood in all its splendor. Here that had seen the birth and rise of Ganondorf.

This was the original Gerudo pueblo.

And, on the rooftops, Rigo caught sight of several Gerudo guardswomen in the familiar military outfits just as they caught sight of the Hylian army. Their response was instant. One of the guards put two fingers in her mouth and let out a loud, piercing whistle that reverberated around the surrounding canyon. In that moment, wooden gates shot up inside every doorway, every entrance to the pueblo, so there would be no quick way to breach the fortress. The handful of guardswomen on the roof multiplied immediately to several dozen, each holding a drawn bow with an arrow stressed and readied and pointed down at the army. In response, the Hylian army halted, raised shields, and prepared to be bombarded.

A loud, female voice rang out from the rooftops, addressing them. "By decree of the Stewardess of Gerudo," she called, "you are intruding upon the sovereign territory of the Gerudo tribe! Turn back now, and you may leave unharmed! Disregard, and you will be fired upon!"

Tydus quickly dismounted, grabbed Rigo, and all but pulled him from his horse.

"Hey!" Rigo protested. "Get off'a me!"

"File into the ranks and keep out of sight," Tydus said.

"Why should I?!" Rigo challenged.

Tydus glared at him. "I'm under orders to grant you a meeting with the Gerudo commander. You'd like me to do this or not?"

Rigo snarled at him, but said nothing.

"As I thought," Tydus said, and then repeated. "Stay out of sight until she shows her face."

Tydus turned and stepped out in front of the army, facing the Gerudo guards. If he had any fear of being shot by an arrow, he didn't show it. He addressed them in a loud, booming voice saturated with authority.

"By decree of the Queen of Hyrule," he said, "we are here to address a mounting concern with the Stewardess of Gerudo. There is an emissary of the Royal Family among us. We want a parley."

Much as Rigo hated the man, he couldn't help but appreciate Tydus's dramatic buildup. Hiding Rigo, referring to him vaguely as an "emissary," all of this would serve to make the moment he revealed himself that much more shocking to the Gerudo. Sooru's reaction in that moment would be crucial. If she was stunned, taken aback, tongue-tied, they would all see it in that moment. It would give strength to his accusations, perhaps turn her army to his side. Of course, he was sure Tydus was only doing it to deny the Gerudo any information before it was due to them, but it still served Rigo's purposes just fine.

The guard on the roof piped back up. "Diplomatic emissaries do not come escorted by armies."

"Emissaries come with whatever protection they deem necessary," Tydus shot back.

A tense silence filled the air as the two forces stood against one another, neither backing down, neither making a move. No one, it seemed, knew what to do.

The stalemate persisted for some time, but the ball was in the Gerudos' court, and they needed to respond. The guardswoman retorted finally, "Stand your army down, and the Stewardess will come forward to meet you."

"Stand your guard down first, and I will," Tydus answered, effectively getting nowhere. Rigo began to wonder how long before an arrow slipped loose out of nerves, but Tydus pressed on immediately from there.

"Tell your Stewardess we are aware of the Chalice she bears. Tell her we are aware of her plans to enter Hyrule with military force. Tell her these are the concerns we come to discuss, and that it is in her best interest to resolve them without delay."

The guardswoman looked visibly shaken by the revelations Tydus had just given. Evidently, they had not expected the Hylians to know anything about the purpose for their appearance here and granted, without Rigo, they would not have. This time, she whispered something to the guard beside her and disappeared back into the pueblo.

Another tense moment passed where no one spoke. Tydus was still as a statue as he waited for their response. Rigo stood in a line of soldiers, shielded from view by the sheer mass of people around him, though he could still see the span of the rooftop around the peak of a helmet next to him. He had to wait for the proper moment. His teeth shivered with anticipation. It was coming.

Finally, the guardswoman returned and gestured for the guards at the center of the roof to stand down. They slowly released the arrows from their bows and stepped to the side in a linear formation, clearing an open space on the roof. "The Stewardess has agreed to hear your concerns from here," the guardswoman said.

"Fine," Tydus shouted.

With that agreed upon, the guardswoman again made a gesture behind her, and then moved aside herself. Rigo watched as three new figures slowly stepped up and appeared side by side on the rooftop. On the left was yet another guardswoman. This one wore a stern expression on her face and numerous weapons along her belt. A bodyguard by the look of her. On the right, though, was someone much more familiar. The woman was tall and impressive, as she'd always been. Rigo had spent much of his young life with her: Pureet, his teacher and mentor. And she still looked very much like she had before, but with one small exception. There was now a strip of fabric spread tied above the bridge of her nose and wrapped around the back of her head. The fabric covered her eyes entirely with brown cloth, which, at first, confused Rigo. That would obstruct her vision, wouldn't it? She wouldn't be able to see.

Then it dawned on him.

Rigo thought back on the last time he had seen Pureet. She had been ordered to send him to his death to prove her loyalty. Instead, she had supplied him with a way to escape. He knew that Sooru had found out about that. Hadn't she sent guards back to kill him after his explosive flight from the Temple? She must have realized before long that Pureet had given him the blasting powder he'd used to get out. When she discovered that…how would she have reacted? Would she have done something so drastic? Would she have punished her assistant so violently? Would she have…cut out her eyes?

Rigo thought he knew the answer as he saw Pureet standing there, not looking down at the army before them, but instead staring straight ahead into nothingness. Pain and anger flooded through him. What _right_ did that woman have to visit such horrors on her own _people_!? On _his_ people? How dare she do such a thing to someone he cared so much about!

With his refreshed rage, he looked upon the third figure, the one in the center. It was another woman, of course. This one was dressed in the pure white of the Stewardess of Gerudo. She still wore white silk in her hair, and still wore the traditional gold mask over the top half of her face, but that garb embodied everything he despised and hated most in all the world. Oh yes, he decided. Sooru would die here. Today.

The Stewardess looked confidently over Tydus and his forces, her shoulders high and her posture stiff, as though she were fully in control of the situation. She stared down at the Colonel and addressed him without title or recognition.

"Send your emissary forward," she said, her voice dripping with arrogance, and Rigo didn't wait to be asked twice.

Tydus beckoned him, but Rigo didn't need it. He stormed out from the crowd and with three long strides stood front and center, just in front of Tydus, his black cloak blowing out behind him. The impact of his appearance on the Gerudo was immediate. Rigo could see the bowstrings across the rooftop loosening. He could hear wild murmuring. He heard his name whispered. Good, so they still knew him. They would all know him much better before the end.

He fixed the Stewardess in his gaze and saw that she was staring down at him with her mouth agape. She was speechless. Good. Maybe she hadn't known about his survival. Maybe her soldiers had lied to her after he escaped. Maybe they'd told her he had been killed. Whatever it was, he hoped she felt the sting of betrayal now. It ought to be the last thing she ever felt.

At the top of his lungs, he bellowed her name at her. "SOORU!" When he spoke It, he did so with all the malice he could muster. It was, in all senses of the word, a curse to him.

"YOU AND I HAVE UNFINISHED BUSINESS!" he went on.

The Gerudo guards all looked confused now, as though they were lost with nowhere to go. Pureet stood up straighter at the sound of Rigo's voice. Rigo thought he could make out the outline of a smile on her face, but he wasn't completely sure. But the Stewardess just stood there, looking down at him. Her mouth started to work, as if she were trying to say something, but no sound came out. It resembled a goldfish. Her shoulders began to slump. She looked like she wanted to run and hide. It was clear she was not as proud, not as powerful as she had projected herself at first. Rigo had robbed her of all that.

He allowed this to go on as long as it would. _Good_, he thought. _Let them see her like this. Let them see how she answers my challenge._

He waited, still as death itself, until she was able to find her voice. He let her flounder until she was able to pick herself up. Then when she spoke, Rigo, who believed he was prepared for any excuse, any eventuality, was taken off guard.

She said his name.

"R…Rigo?"

It felt like a shot in the chest. The tone was what caught him up. The tone of her voice was not malicious. It was not full of hate or spite. It was not hostile at all. What it was filled with was…concern. It was surprised. It was compassionate. What the hell?

Rigo squinted up at her trying to get a look at her face, her body language, anything that would give away her intentions or thoughts. But then, the Stewardess made it clear. The woman reached up and pulled the golden mask from her face, dropping it at her side and exposing herself to him. And to Rigo's surprise, the face behind the mask was not the careworn, tried face of Sooru. No, not even close. The face there, now that of an adult, was one much more familiar to him than he could have been prepared for. He knew it so incredibly well. After all, he had grown up side-by-side with its owner. He had gotten in all manner of trouble with her. He had confided his secrets in her. And, before his life had taken a dramatic turn, he had begun to become deeply intimate with her. And to his astonishment, within the white silk and fabric and all the adornments of the Gerudo Stewardess, there she stood above him.

It was Amili.


	33. The Revolution

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 33: The Revolution**  
By, Frank Hunter

Upon learning of Rigo's miraculous survival, Amili immediately agreed to a more formal parley, albeit just between herself and Rigo. Tydus looked particularly bitter about being left out, but after much grimacing and griping agreed to pull the Hylian army back to the clearing over the river chasm, out of range of the Gerudo fortress, where they set up a camp.

Rigo went with them at first, allowing Amili a brief time to prepare for the he returned to the pueblo though, he was summoned into Colonel Tydus's command tent. The Colonel wasted no time on formalities when Rigo arrived. As soon as the two were alone, he stalked up to Rigo, the anger he felt rippling from him palpably. "You have two hours," he instructed, jabbing a finger into Rigo's chest. "If you're not back here in two hours, I'll have no choice but to assume you've deserted and are in coalition with the enemy."

Rigo shoved his hand away. "What are you, thick?!" he demanded. "That's the whole _point_ of me being here. That's what I _came_ to do!"

The Colonel took a step in on him, standing over Rigo in a pose of pure dominance. "_Not_ before you recover the Chalice as you agreed. Not before you have removed this army from our doorstep. Do not forget, you are still my prisoner. You meet with this woman because you have my _permission_ to do so, and if you cannot follow my instructions, then be prepared for the consequences."

Rigo stared into his eyes but said nothing. He tried to look defiant but felt he was lucky if he just kept from looking intimidated. Tydus's cheek twitched and he held up the index and middle fingers of one hand. "Two hours," he repeated, and dismissed Rigo from the tent.

Rigo left the camp and made the short hike back down the path alone, though he was certain there would be eyes in the Hylian camp following him, perhaps with the aid of those binocular tools they were so fond of, just as he was certain there would be Gerudo eyes on the cliffs above him ensuring that he came alone. When he turned the final corner and came into sight of the pueblo once more, he found that a single door at the center of the complex had been opened, the gate barring entry removed. Outside that door stood a single guardswoman. She stood straight, but still seemed nervous and fidgety as she waited for Rigo to close the distance to her. Along the roof were more guards, each trying harder than the last not to look eager to catch a glimpse of Rigo as he approached the pueblo.

"Prince Rigo," the guard at the door said when Rigo got within earshot. "I am to escort you immediately to the Stewardess."

Rigo nodded. "Sure," he said. "Thank you."

As he thanked her, the guard all but swooned. "Thank…thank _you_, my lord!"

In a beat, she turned and scurried off. Rigo started as she ran away, and then began to trot after her, needing to legitimately trot to keep up. This excited over a simple "thank you"? What had happened to these people? The last time Rigo had seen Gerudo, they couldn't have cared less _who_ he was, and they were in fact ready to kill him. Now he was being treated like a celebrity despite having been missing for five long years. It was all so confusing.

Along the corridors and through room after room Rigo was led. All of it was broken and desecrated, though the army had restored some small comforts in places. There were tables at which to eat, there was a barracks in which to sleep, but all of it was built on top of the rubble and ruin.

_Your memories of this place are a lot nicer than the place itself,_ he thought silently to Nabooru.

_It's seen better days, _she agreed. _You have any idea what you're gonna say to the girl yet?_

_Not a clue,_ Rigo admitted. _Gotta find out what happened. Then, we can go from there._

_Do yourself a favor, and be careful with her, _Nabooru cautioned.

Rigo had to work to keep from laughing out loud. _It's Amili,_ he said to the spirit. _She's not gonna stab me in the back or anything._

Nabooru remained guarded. _Whoever she was when you knew her, she's the Stewardess of Gerudo now. Trust me, no one earns that title lightly._

A few more twists and turns and the guard led him to a room with a closed wooden door. It was the first functional door he'd seen in the whole place, and when they reached it, the guard lifted a fist and pounded three times. There was a heartbeat of a pause, and then a deadbolt was undone on the inside, and the door pulled open. Amili was on the other side, still dressed in her formal attire.

"The Prince is here to meet you, Stewardess," the guard said, with a curt salute.

Amili stared at Rigo as she answered. "Yes," she said, "Thank you, Selen. You can leave us."

The guard took one last look at Rigo, up and down, before turning and bustling off down the hall.

When she had turned a corner and moved out of sight, Rigo could no longer help himself, Nabooru's warning be damned. He stepped in quickly and wrapped his arms around Amili, pulling her into a hug so tight he might have been building it up for her all these years. She was taken aback at first, but quickly recovered and returned the hug, resting her cheek against his. Hers was wet, Rigo noticed, as though she might have been crying. He chose not to mention that. He didn't want to embarrass her. He didn't want to do anything at all, except embrace her and be grateful to the Sand Goddess that they had been reunited.

Amili, though, forced them apart a little too quickly, before they could find the opportunity to become any more intimate. She took Rigo lightly by the arm and led him out of the doorway, into the room behind her, shutting and deadbolting the door behind him, assuring them privacy.

The room was small, but it was obviously Amili's private quarters. There was a table with a candelabra alight on it, a rather comfortable looking cot, and in one corner, a desk covered with maps. Though Rigo didn't know the lay of the land, he recognized the image of Hyrule Castle dead center in many of them and postulated that they must have been maps of Hyrule itself. Possibly anticipated infiltration routes. Different Stewardess then, but similar plan.

"I thought you were dead," Amili said softly. "Everyone, they all thought you were dead. When Sooru took me away, that night, we heard an explosion from the Temple."

Rigo nodded. "I blew my way out. Thanks to-"

"Pureet," Amili cut in. "I know, Sooru figured it out. That's why she…" Amili trailed off. She didn't have to say it. Rigo already knew.

He waited for her to collect herself, but walked to the table and pulled out a chair, gesturing for her to sit. Amili took a breath and did precisely that. When she was in her chair, Rigo selected one for himself beside her and lowered himself into that.

"She sent soldiers back after you. They said they found you, that you had fallen from a cliff and had been…'killed on impact.' Isn't that horrific? Those are the words they used."

Rigo scoffed. "The story's almost true. I fell into a lake, though. They might have _thought_ I died."

"Rigo," Amili said, looking back up at him with newly watery eyes. "You have to believe me. If I had any _idea_ you were still alive, I'd have come back for you. I'd have brought you home in an instant. I swear to the Sand Goddess."

"It's fine, Amili," Rigo consoled. "It's fine. You didn't know. But I'm here now. I'm still alive."

"Right," Amili steadied. She shook her head and tried to bring herself back to the pose and dignity that her station demanded.

"Tell me what happened," Rigo prompted her. "With the Gerudo." Amili nodded, took a breath, sat up straighter, and began her story.

"Sooru brought me back to Jirin, under armed guard the whole way. When we got there, she told the whole pueblo that you had been killed in the Desert Temple by a monster the Hylians had put there. That by some miracle, I had survived and she had found me and saved me and brought me home. And she made me promise to stick to the story, too. She said if I didn't, she would take it out on your grandmother."

Rigo's heart clenched at that. What a sinister thing to do. To even _think_. The woman was nothing if not pure evil.

"How is she?" Rigo asked tentatively. "My grandmother, I mean." But the sad expression that surfaced in Amili's eyes confirmed what he'd been so afraid of.

"I'm sorry, Rigo," Amili said. "She died. It was years after, though. In her own bed. She was just old."

He was silent then for a moment, fighting the tears welling in his eyes. He hadn't thought about his grandmother much during his time in the Stockade. It had been too painful in that cold place to remember the warm home he had come from. And once he'd gotten out, the thought that she might not be there hadn't even crossed his mind. How fixated he had been on an impossible happily ever after.

"You should know, though, that even at the end, she never really believed you were gone," Amili added. "Sooru showed the Chalice she took from you to the people."

A look passed over Amili's face, as though she'd tasted something bitter. "From what your buddy outside said, I guess you still remember about the Chalice."

"He's not my buddy," Rigo said.

"Anyway, Sooru told them what it was and what she thought it would do. She figured that the Chalice would rally them all under her, get her the support she'd need to pull the pueblo's guards into a legitimate army, march back in an attack on Hyrule to take the Fountain of Nayru and establish the Gerudo as a new dominant race here. And people liked the idea more or less. Sooru wasn't the only one who'd known the legends of the Chalice. Have you heard them?"

"Yeah," Rigo said. "I know what it is."

"Well, the plan wasn't bad. It almost worked, but there was one thing that she hadn't counted on."

"What, their fear?" Rigo asked.

"No, their loyalty," Amili said. Rigo looked back up at her.

"Loyalty to you," she went on. "Loyalty to tradition, to the King. The Gerudo aren't stupid, Rigo. They didn't need _me_ to tell them that Sooru's story was ridiculous. And everything Pureet warned you about back then was totally true. There was a line drawn in the sand between the people who wanted Sooru in charge, and the ones that wanted you. When she came back home without you, it shook everything up. It turned out there were a lot more people loyal to you than anyone expected. Especially Sooru. Things started to happen, accidents around the people closest to her. In less than a year, there was a full-out rebellion. The one side followed Sooru. The other side, well…" She shrugged, waiting for Rigo to follow her line of thought.

"You?!" Rigo stumbled.

"Well, they wanted _you_," Amili clarified, "but obviously they couldn't have you. They knew I'd been closer to you than anybody though, and as time went on and I could start slipping the truth about us, they found out everything I knew. I told them about why you went to Hyrule in the first place, and about exactly how close we'd gotten on the way. So they made me the figurehead of the rebellion. Jeez, I was fourteen…"

"I never even _guessed..." _Rigo started, incredulously.

"We were driven out of the pueblo and forced to shelter in Jirin. The Jirin govenment claimed they were neutral, that they had no interest in our civil war, and that made Sooru hesitant to come down on them hard, but their people were still good to us. They took us in and looked after us, and when we could muster the strength, we'd go back periodically and strike at the pueblo. We kept Sooru from coming to Jirin, and eventually she started running out of supplies and got desperate and sloppy. She made a mistake."

Rigo bared his teeth in anticipation. "Tell me she got what she deserved."

Amili stared into the candlelight and nodded. "I killed her, Rigo. For what she did to you and the people, I ended her life instead of taking her surrender. When she died, the rest of her soldiers chose not to go on, and we had gained control of Gerudo. But, we still had no King, and there needed to be a leader. Even though I was still technically underage, I had been the face of the rebellion. I was the one everyone knew. And everyone had figured I'd gotten enough experience in the war to last a lifetime. Besides, with Pureet, I got a little more help and guidance. They made me Stewardess. And I tried to do for the tribe what I thought you would have done. The talks we had during those nights in the desert. I knew you wanted to inspire the people, that you wanted to help them accept Jirin as their new home. I did what I could to bring us closer to the Jirin, and to make life in the pueblo more comfortable."

"That _is_ what I wanted," Rigo said. "But still, here you are."

Amili sighed. "It was the Chalice. You remember what it feels like to look at it?"

"Yeah," Rigo said. "It's magnetic. It feels like it draws you right in."

"That's right," Amili said. "And thanks to Sooru, all of Gerudo had seen it, knew about it, and knew what it could do. Even with Sooru out of the picture, a lot of them latched onto her idea. It's like they couldn't forget about it. Some people became obsessed, and loud. And I couldn't tell them it was a _bad_ idea. After all the shame, the exile and revolution and losing _you_, the idea of the Gerudo rising again into a respectable power was one nobody could ignore. And with the memories of the bloodshed so fresh in our minds...it was clear no one was going to be comfortable in Jirin any time soon."

"So you came to lead them to the Fountain," Rigo surmised.

"Yes. They've found hope in the Fountain, Rigo. It _drives_ them. The people are _ambitious_ like you've never seen them. They're inspired to rebuild here like they never were in Jirin. I could get them to do it without hesitation. It's all they want. And it would be _possible_ to defend ourselves here, _if_ we had the power of the Fountain on our side."

"Amili..." Rigo sighed. "Even if the story's true, there's an army of Hylians outside right now who want to stop you from doing exactly that."

"But they won't," Amili said. She was starting to get excited, the old glint of giddiness showing in her eye. "Not now that you're back. _You_ can take us to the Fountain now. _You_ can help us claim it. You can help us rebuild. Your people have you back, and now you can help us challenge Hyrule!"

Rigo closed his eyes. He knew what he had to say to her. It had to be said, but he knew as soon as the words left his lips, they would ruin everything.

"Amili," he said, hating himself for it. "We need to surrender the Chalice."

The effect was instantaneous. The happiness that had building fell away, just _drained_ from her. She looked at him as though she'd just been slapped. Her eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean 'surrender' it?" she said.

"It's a condition I promised to the Hylians. It's complicated," Rigo said. He wasn't sure quite how to start explaining it.

"You promised them _our_ Chalice?" she asked.

"I...I didn't have a choice," Rigo stammered.

"Let me get this straight," Amili said. Her voice had sunk, now as cold as ice. "The army down there, an army I _thought_ was just a precaution on the Hylians' part, which I can't even say I blame them for. They should feel threatened. But _you_ led that army here..."

"I didn't _lead_ them," Rigo interrupted.

"You _came_ with them," she adjusted, not caring, "our enemies, and told them you would take our treasure, a treasure you almost _died_ for, and just...hand it over? Why would you do that?"

"I..." Rigo started, but he didn't know what to tell her. What could he say? That he was a prisoner? He didn't want Amili to know that. He didn't want to tell her he'd been caged like a rat since she'd seen him last. He was the King. Kings don't let that happen to themselves.

"I promised the Queen," he settled on. "The Queen of Hyrule, that I would help her seal the Chalice away. To stop it from being used."

"Since when does the King of Gerudo do the bidding of the Hyrule Royal Family?" Amili asked with a heaping dose of cynicism.

"It's not like that," Rigo said.

"That's what it sounds like. What _have _you been doing for the last five years, Rigo? Why didn't you come home?"

"I couldn't…" Rigo began. "I just couldn't leave. And even if I could have, I didn't know about the revolution. Sooru, she would have killed me on sight. That's what I thought."

"So you've been living among the Hylians all this time and you think you can trust them now, is that it?"

"No, it's not..."

"What happens to _us_ once you give up the Chalice?"

Rigo swallowed. "We go _home_, Amili. Back to Jirin, and we make our lives there, like I always said we would."

"Back to _Jirin_?" Amili asked, incredulous. "Rigo, the Gerudo that are still there are waiting for news that they can _leave_. They're _dying _to hear that we've found the Fountain, and that they can come back to Hyrule and start to rebuild _here_. _That_ is what the people want. Now you want me to go to them and tell them that we got to Hyrule, but I gave the Chalice to our enemies and fled? You want me to tell the soldiers _here_ that that's the plan? Soldiers that are prepared to lay down their lives in _your_ name? How is that going to _look_ to them?"

Rigo was beginning to get inflamed. "Amili, that _man_ outside is _looking_ for an excuse to go to war with you. And he won't stop at just the soldiers here. If he has his way, he will hunt down every last Gerudo on the face of the planet. He will _find_ Jirin and slaughter our people to the last child. He's _afraid_ of us! To him, that justifies genocide!"

Amili stared into him. "And that's the person you want to trust the Chalice of Nayru to?"

"He's under orders to return the Chalice to his Queen," Rigo said.

"You know," Amili said, "if there's anything I learned from Sooru, it's that sometimes people don't always just do what's expected of them. If the man's as violent as you say he is, there's nothing to say he won't just use the Chalice to go to war. How do you know he won't take it, use it, and then kill us anyway?"

"Amili, we have to give him the Chalice to _prevent_ violence. If we don't give it up, there is _going_ to be a war!"

"I came here _knowing_ there would be a war!" Amili said. "We're _prepared_ for war. And I'm not going to stand down and surrender to a hostile commander just because you promised him our secret."

Rigo shook his head in exasperation. "I am the _King_!" he declared. "I am the King in whose name you're acting. I get the final say here on our course of action. You can't declare war on Hyrule unless I accept it."

Amili's eyes narrowed at him across the short length of table. "Unless you are prepared to _force_ me to crown you right now, to _sieze_ the Chalice from me and give it up to an enemy you don't trust, and, against the best wishes of your own people, march your army back to Jirin in retreat, explaining to them _why_ you have done this, then that _will not happen_. We're standing our ground here, Rigo. In the name of our people and our legacy and everything that's right and fair. Do you want to sweep me aside to defeat us yourself?"

Her words hurt. "No," he said quietly. But he still knew in his heart, popular or not, the peaceful choice would be the best one. Popular or not.

Amili sat back in her chair, keeping a look of relief from taking hold. "Then we're going to fight," she said with utter certainty. "How about you?"

"Me?" he asked. He legitimately didn't know. "I…I need to go back to talk to the Hylians."

"What for?" Amili asked. "We're not agreeing to their terms. You have nothing to say to them."

"If I don't go back, they'll be marching on the fortress within the hour. I can at least buy some time." He sighed. "I don't want anyone to go to war, Amili. I wasn't expecting any of this. And I didn't h-"

"-have a choice, yeah I heard you before," Amili cut in. Her eyes blazed with a fire he'd never seen in her before. They were the eyes of a leader, and were absolutely terrifying.

"But you know what?" she went on. "From over here it looks like you _do_ have a choice, Rigo. And it's a real simple one. This battle is happening. You're either gonna stand with me against them, or you're gonna stand with them against me. It's one or the other."

She leaned in on him and tilted her head to look at him from under her brow. Her eyebrows raised in inquisition and asked him to do just one thing.

"Choose."


	34. Weight of the World

**The Waters of Nayru  
****Chapter 34: Weight of the World  
**By, Frank Hunter

Their conversation ended, Rigo left Amili's chambers with no resolution found. He still knew what the right course of action would be, but he didn't know how he could do it. How could he force Amili to give up the Chalice, knowing full well what it meant to the Gerudo people? Knowing how it would dishearten them to surrender the very object that, to them, meant a second chance at prosperity?

He was escorted out by another guard, a different woman from before but one who seemed just as interested in him as she had been. He thought that he could do without this level of celebrity, and wondered if the King would normally have to deal with such infatuation if a revolution hadn't just recently been carried out in his name.

As he left the pueblo, his body kept on setting one foot before the other, but his mind was retreated in on itself. Nabooru was the only person he could consult about this situation. Everyone else had an agenda. Everyone else was trying to accomplish some end that, in the grand scheme of things, just seemed so _trivial _and difficult. And all of it revolved around a stupid, shiny cup.

That, he guessed, was politics.

_I wish I'd never found that cursed thing, _Rigo thought. _You know, if I'd just __turned a different corner in the vault, or had been looking the other way, I __wouldn't have seen it._

_Relics like the Chalice have a way of being found when they want to be, _Nabooru answered cryptically. _Finding it was probably not your fault at all._

_If I'd known the consequences at the time..._

_Well, you didn't, _Nabooru snapped. _So stop moping. You know what needs to __be done now._

_Yeah, _Rigo resolved, reluctantly. _That conversation _hurt_, but I guess nothing's really changed. We have to get the Chalice to Zelda. We've gotta stop this war. That's the _right _thing to do, regardless of what anybody thinks._

He turned the corner beyond the pueblo paying no mind to the rocks and rubble around him. He was preoccupied with exactly _how _he was going to accomplish this. Persuading Amili would be hopeless. She was far too invested in the opinions and preferences of the Gerudo to listen to reason when it came to this. But, Rigo was sure that the Chalice had been there, somewhere. In her private quarters. It was unlikely she'd trust it to be stored anywhere else, so at least he had an idea of where to _find_ it.

_I might have to steal it, _he thought.

No sooner had he come to that conclusion than a voice came from over his shoulder.

"You've grown, I think," it said.

"Holy hell!" Rigo shouted, and nearly jumped out of his skin. He whipped around, instincts to fight kicking in, but the only thing he saw was the blind, still form of Pureet against the rocks. She stood there alone.

"How do you manage to do that every freakin' time?!" he asked, pumped on adrenaline. "_Still!_"

The ghost of a smile came to her face. "Long practice."

Rigo took a few cautious steps back toward her. The blind woman didn't move, except maybe to tilt her head slightly to the side. Rigo could tell she was listening intently. He noticed that she held no stick or staff to help her walk, and it appeared as though she'd had no one to guide her to this place. She was travelling alone, navigating without the use of her eyes. Quite the formidable old bird.

"Did you just want to see me for yourself?" Rigo asked. He caught the mistake in his terminology the instant the words passed from his lips.

"Not exactly. I can't see much of anything anymore," Pureet answered. Rigo attempted an apology, but the old attendant just pushed on, seemingly unoffended.

"I knew it was you beyond doubt when you called out your challenge from the desert. I never would have forgotten your voice, Rigo. You should know that I always valued the opportunity I had to be your teacher. And, from the moment you chose to leave Jirin to come back to Hyrule, to stand up and aid your people when they needed it, I have never for a moment left your side."

Rigo didn't know what to say to this unbridled pronouncement of loyalty. Was this how all of the soldiers here felt? He doubted it. Pureet's devotion had always made him uneasy, right from that unexpected moment she'd mentioned, when he'd confided in her as a child and she, against everything he'd known adults had to do, had chosen instead to keep his secret and help send him on his way. It was the first moment he'd ever seen first-hand the effect the Gerudo King could have on someone, and he knew he wasn't worthy of it. He hadn't done anything to _prove_ he deserved the Gerudos' respect.

"That was why you lost your eyes, wasn't it?" Rigo asked her.

"Yes," Pureet said. "Though I wouldn't wish you to blame yourself for that. The Stewardess gave you the grim details, I assume?"

"Yes, she did," Rigo answered.

Pureet smiled as she went on. "Sooru unfortunately placed me in a position where I had to choose between my allegiance to her and my allegiance to you. She should not have done so. When she forced my hand and didn't like the result, she took my eyes from me as punishment. She assumed it would be ample to put me in my place. But she was wrong. In return, I did what needed to be done to remove the power from her corrupted hands."

Rigo felt chills moving up and down his spine. Pureet's tone as she talked about this was stoic. She recounted her self mutilation and insurrection as though it were simply fact, without emotion or concern about the effects these actions had caused.

"You…you _did_ this?" Rigo asked, unbelieving.

"Yes," Pureet said again, simply. "I was the one who orchestrated the Gerudos' rebellion and procured the aid of the Jirin when it was needed most, though many would not know this is the truth. I was the one who planned the schemes and strategies used to attack and weaken Sooru. And, in the end, I was the one who put young Amili in a position to kill the wretch and claim the title of Stewardess herself."

Thoughts lashed back and forth in Rigo's mind. Pureet had always been his teacher. He'd always known she was competent and dangerous, but until now, he never realized how truly _fearsome,_ how _powerful _she really was. He wished he could see her eyes, to get some sense of the feeling behind what she was saying, but they were not there, and the bandage wrapped around her head masked any lingering expression he might have gotten. She was as a rock.

"Does Amili know that you were responsible?"

"No," Pureet answered. "At least, not the true extent of my part. I supported her when I could, and have stayed on as her attendant to help govern the Gerudo properly afterward. Understand, as capable as she was, no teenage girl would ever have acquired the power she did without help."

Rigo nodded slowly. "I guess you've always known about the passages behind the walls, huh?"

Pureet smiled widely. "Yes, I suppose I have."

But," Rigo started, "if you were capable of doing all of that, why not just put yourself in position to become Stewardess? Wouldn't that have been easier?"

"Only on the surface," Pureet said. "For one who operates in the dark though, being forced into a spotlight is the worst possible fate. As a leader, one becomes burdened with the morals and rigors of running a nation full of people. You've spoken to the Stewardess, you must see that the course of action she currently follows is not the one that is ideal, but the one that she feels she must."

"She's not wrong," Rigo said, feeling the truth bubbling out of him. "I see her point. But I'm afraid of what might happen if this gets out of control. How many people on both sides are going to die if I let Amili go to war?

"It will be disastrous," Pureet said. "Well beyond the confines of one small battle in an abandoned pueblo. Both the Gerudo and Hylians are proud peoples. If this begins, neither will opt to stop it until it has been properly won."

Pureet eyed him. Or at least she _would_ have, if she'd had eyes.

"I know why you've come here," she said. "There could only be one reason. The Stewardess cannot make a wise decision from where she stands, and she will not listen to dissenting opinion now. She is far too involved." Pureet reached behind her back as she spoke and produced a small satchel, not unlike the one Rigo had used years earlier to hold his supply of dried pork.

"However," Pureet went on, "this decision should never have been hers to make in the first place. Many Gerudo fought and died to ensure the Gerudo King retains the right to sit upon his throne. Such is the will of the Sand Goddess. And, now we _have_ a King who is of age."

Pureet held the satchel out before her. Its leather straps blew in the drafts of wind that gusted through the rocky chasm.

"The decision should never have been hers because it should have been yours, Rigo. You were robbed of it due to circumstance, but I am here to restore that decision to you. Take it."

Rigo looked her over and tentatively stepped forward. Restore the decision to him? No, this was crazy. As he approached her and took the satchel from her hand, he was kept repeating that to himself. Whatever was in this satchel, surely it was something else. Something inconsequential, not what he thought it must be. But, when he released the straps and opened it, there could be no mistake. It was the Chalice of Nayru nestled inside, still glowing brightly in all its splendor. Against his will, Rigo's mouth gaped as he looked on it, but he quickly closed it and the bag, and forced his eyes away.

"How did you get this?" Rigo asked.

"Never mind about it. The Stewardess does not know it is missing. She likely will not for some time. I'd suggest you consider carefully and make the proper decision about where its rightful place is."

Rigo held the satchel before him as though it were a dead thing he didn't want to get too close to. He shook his head. "Pureet…this isn't right. We've already lost so much because of Gerudo infighting. And you…your eyes." He groaned and kicked a rock away. It clattered off into the distance. "That's something you'll never get back. And still, it's small compared to the hurt the people will get when this war comes to our doorstep. We shouldn't be going behind Amili's back now. Whatever we do, the Gerudo should stand together and do it as a whole. That's the only way we're going to survive this!"

Pureet considered his answer for a long moment. "That's noble," she said. "But I don't think you really believe it."

Rigo threw his hands in the air. "What if I do?"

Pureet braced herself on a rock and started forward, moving to leave. Once she had oriented herself, she pointed down the path from which Rigo had come and said, "Then you know where to find her. Bring the Chalice back, and help prepare the Gerudo for war. That may very well become your decision. But at least then, _you_ will have made it."

She began to step past Rigo, not quite stumbling, but not entirely sure of her footing either. Rigo considered helping her, but he was too baffled, too lost to do anything remotely beneficial before she'd past him and found herself back on the road.

"I should return before I'm missed," Pureet said. "But tread carefully, Rigo. I expect that one way or another, we will meet again soon."

She didn't wait for his response to begin her slow, uncomfortable strides back toward the pueblo. Rigo stood and watched her go, mouthing his words for a few moments before gaining the strength to say what he needed to say.

"Why are you doing this to me!?" he finally shouted back at her.

Pureet stopped for a moment and turned to face him, regarding him in her own way.

"Like it or not, boy," she said, "when the dust here has settled, you are going to be King. That is fact, and it has always been my responsibility to ensure that you are prepared when that happens." She spun her hand in the air in a sort of contemplative gesture. "I suppose you can consider this your final exam."

She sounded amused as she said it, and Rigo hated the tone. He felt patronized by it, though he was sure Pureet hadn't meant for anything of the sort. But, she said nothing else as she turned back and continued on her way.

Rigo watched his old teacher go, possibilities running through his head at high speed. Off in that direction stood the Gerudo pueblo, occupied by his own people. By Amili. And, although he dreaded nothing more than betraying Amili and her trust, he knew that returning the cup to her only had one outcome: war. In the other direction camped the Hylians, and Rigo had promised Queen Zelda that he would return the Chalice to them for the price of his own freedom. Though the terms of the deal had changed somewhat with Sooru's preemptive demise, the idea was still the same. But, he would have to surrender to Colonel Tydus first, a prospect he did not enjoy. And, as he obviously had not been crowned King yet and could not order an immediate retreat, he would have to persuade Tydus to leave well enough alone. There was still a chance for war.

Neither option was appealing, and both held possible catastrophe, but thanks to Pureet, Rigo was now alone with the Chalice and had time to make this decision as carefully as possible. Which was the better alternative?

_So, _Nabooru piped up, her tone playful, as usual. _You still know what needs to be done?_


	35. The Right Choice

**The Waters of Nayru  
****Chapter 35: The Right Choice  
**By, Frank Hunter

In the end, much as it broke his heart and, he knew, it would also break Amili's, there was only one choice for Rigo to make. Only one chance for real peace. The Chalice had delivered itself into his possession. Wonderful. It would only make his job that much easier. He still had to do with it the only thing that he could to prevent death and devestation.

He had to return it to Zelda.

As the sun began to wane in the sky, Rigo returned to the Hylian camp, satchel in tow. The lookouts retrieved him on the borders of their campsite, and brought him back in to Colonel Tydus's command tent, the headed off, presumably to inform the Colonel he was back. The tent was set back in the camp, closest to the ravine and the river. Rigo could hear the sound of rushing water nearby over the goings on in the camp around him.

Tydus was off somewhere, running drills or performing inspections or doing whatever it was he did in order to occupy himself. Rigo didn't really care. He knew the man would be back before too long, eager to know what had happened, and to begin planning his next move. Rigo just hoped he could point him away from the pueblo. He sat down on the open floor of the tent cross-legged and thought briefly about falling into meditation. He hadn't done it in so many days that he had begun to miss the relaxation of it. But no. It would be better to remain vigilant here. It wouldn't do for someone to come in and find him distracted. Who knew what some brash, opportunistic soldier might do if they thought they could get the drop on him. Or what Tydus would do for that matter.

He opted instead to just talk to Nabooru in consciousness. Venting a bit would be therapeutic enough.

_Why did this have to get so difficult?_ he asked.

_You love to complain, don't you?_ Nabooru teased.

_I figured you knew that by now,_ Rigo countered.

I_ figured you'd grow up eventually, _Nabooru retorted.

RIgo sighed. _It's not like Amili even knows where the Waters are._

_That's true, _Nabooru agreed.

_She's liable to get every single Gerudo killed just _looking_ for them. And that's _if_ they even exist. _Rigo got up and started pacing, eager to expel his frustration.

_I mean, Zelda seems pretty sure about it, but you know what? I bet for all her talk, she has no idea where they are either. It's probably the same as any of those lost Hylian legends, where all the details have gotten so scrambled you can't tell what's real anymore. I bet _no one_ knows where to find the Waters at this point._

There was a long silence there while Rigo fumed and mused over the stupidity of it all, before Nabooru finally answered.

_Well,_ she said, drawing the word out. _I wouldn't be so sure about that._

Rigo scoffed at first at the sincere tone of her devil's advocacy, but then he stopped and considered her answer. He mouthed over her words, and in his reflection came to a drastic realization. Stupid! He'd been so stupid! Why he hadn't seen this before? Zelda had _told_ him where the Waters were. She'd said they were tucked away in the goddess' Sacred Realm. The Sacred Realm, the world behind this one, a myth, yeah, but one more based in reality than most. It was hidden away and the gate was sealed for good measure, but there were individuals who still _went_ there, who _dwelled _there, and most importantly, who knew how to _get_ there.

Those individuals were the Sages, and he had one of them riding around in his bloody head.

_Nabooru, _Rigo started, hesitant but curious beyond measure. He'd stopped pacing and just stared into the tent wall as though the spirit were there, smirking back at him as she always did. _Do _you_ know where the Waters of Nayru are? _he thought at her.

Nabooru didn't miss a beat. _Of course I do,_ she said. _I practically _lived_ in the Sacred Realm after the Spirit Temple debacle. It'd be hard for me to miss something like that._

Rigo was caught up in the tide of his utter disbelieve. _You…you know how to how to get to them?_

_Yeah, where the gate is, how to open it. Hell, I could even raise the Fountain if I wanted._

Rigo blinked. _And you didn't think that might be worth telling me before!?_

_You didn't have the Chalice before._

_I mean out on the road! With Pureet! That little detail would have factored into my decision, Nabooru! If I'd known we could actually _raise_ the Fountain of Nayru, maybe I would have stuck with Amili! What the hell's wrong with you?_

_Why does the truth of the Waters' existence make any difference to your mission?_ Nabooru asked patiently. _You still want to stop a war, yes? To do that, you need to keep your friend from entering Hyrule altogether. Does it matter if she knows where she's going or not? The Colonel could still kill her just as effectively either way. Do you want that blood on your hands? Do you want to bury your dead friend at the foot of the Fountain?_

Rigo gritted his teeth. Options ran through his mind faster than a desert sandstorm. He could have led Amili there, true. He also could have made off with the Chalice and taken the Fountain for himself. He could have used the knowledge as a bargaining chip with Zelda. Could have, could have, could have. It was all a moot point now.

_Where is the entrance? _he asked her.

_What does it matter? _she answered. _You don't know the geography of Hyrule. You wouldn't recognize the location even if I said it._

_Just tell me! _he demanded.

It was in that moment, before Nabooru could answer, that Tydus chose to return to his tent. The Colonel ducked in under the flap and found Rigo there in the middle of the small space, wearing a glower on his face. Rigo turned to face him, his anger with Nabooru carrying over, and fixed Tydus in his glare. Tydus stopped in the doorway and raised an eyebrow at him before seemingly remembering that the tent was his. He pushed his way inside, past Rigo and over to a small table, on which there were rough maps of the valley and the Gerudo complex. The whole setup was disturbingly like Amili's in the pueblo.

"What happened?" he asked Rigo, curtly.

"Huh?" Rigo answered, not following at first. Trying to bring his thoughts back to the moment.

"In your parley, boy," Tydus scowled. "Don't waste my time. Are the Gerudo leaving or not?"

Rigo shook his head to clear it. "It's not that simple," he said.

Tydus scoffed. "No, then. Did you kill the woman at least?"

"No," Rigo said. "It's not her. It's a different Stewardess."

Tydus shrugged at him with a deeply patronizing look on his face. "What's the difference?" he asked. "You kill the woman, you take your tribe, you leave. That was the arrangement."

"I'm not gonna kill her!" Rigo said. His voice was escalating now, the discussion heating up fast. "She hasn't wronged anyone! You're too…_callous_ to understand."

"Callous?" Tydus asked.

"I'm being civil," Rigo said.

Tydus looked amused. "Be that as it may, you're not giving me anything I can work with. Did you get _anything_ out of this meeting at all, or are you just telling me I should throw you back in the Stockade and go forward?"

Rigo considered. Nabooru might have been right. Maybe it didn't matter if he knew where the Fountain was. Or, maybe that knowledge would have changed everything. But that was before. At this point, his options were seriously limited. He wasn't leaving this camp, this _tent,_ with the Chalice now that he was here. They wouldn't let him just walk away unless he had something to offer. So it was finally time to give the plan a try. He was the King after all, Pureet had reminded him so, and it was his decision. He made it.

"I got this," Rigo said, and he unshouldered and held out the satchel Pureet had brought him. He refused to make eye contact with Tydus as he did, anticipating the man would move in quickly and snatch the treasure from him. But Tydus didn't move. He just stood there, stoic and unyielding. He loomed over Rigo.

"What's that?" he asked.

Rigo squinted up at him. "What do you mean 'what's that'? The hell do you think it is?"

Tydus crossed his arms. "The cup?"

Rigo nodded. "Yeah."

Tydus was unaffected. "So despite a wasted day, despite all your failures, you brought me the cup?" He took Rigo's silence correctly as an affirmative.

"And you expect…what, now?" Tydus asked.

Rigo hesitated. "I expect you to honor your side of the bargain."

Tydus laughed. "Bargain?"

"Yes." The boy gritted his teeth. "My agreement with Queen Zelda. I'm to trade the Chalice for my freedom. That was the deal."

"No, boy. It wasn't. We agreed the cup would be a good faith gesture. Only after you've served your purpose and arranged for the Gerudo to leave would it become relevant. You haven't done any of that, so what use is this little trinket to me?"

Trinket? Amazing. He still didn't believe the Chalice was a real artifact. And he was now twisting the agreement to suit his own purposes.

"How do you not _understand_ this?" Rigo asked, his frustration mounting. "This Chalice is the entire _reason _for the Gerudo army to be here. If you take it and leave, they'll have no cause to enter Hyrule!"

"If I leave and they remain, I don't know what will happen, do I?"

"I just told you-"

"You're an amateur in the ways of warfare, boy," Tydus said, cutting him off. "I've been doing this a long time, much longer than you. I can see what you're orchestrating here. You're trying to be clever.. You're trying to get me to turn my back on an armed enemy. It's not going to work."

Rigo barked an apprehensive laugh. "You think this is a _ploy_? All I want is to _leave,_ you stupid _boar_! I don't want to trick you! I don't want to do _anything_ with you except to _forget_ _about you_!"

If Rigo's passion moved the Colonel, it wasn't apparent. He still stood in his statuesque way and glared at the young Gerudo. Rigo's eyes pleaded with him.

"_Take_ the Chalice back to your Queen. Send a scout back with it if you have to, you can stay here. Give _her_ the chance to decide. If she wants to go to war once she has it, then so be it. But this _should_ be enough to make peace, Colonel." Rigo threw his arms up, his determination getting the better of his emotion. "Think of your men's lives at least, and the losses you're likely to take just trying to breach that fortress! They're men with families, and their deaths are entirely unnecessary. I can't tell you any more plainly that _I don't want to fight you_. I just want to end this." He held the satchel out again. "_This_ should do it."

Tydus regarded him still, the posture of his shoulders giving away a tired skepticism. But his silence, his absorption of Rigo's plea, gave the boy hope that he was at least _listening_ to what was being said, if not yet accepting it. Maybe Rigo could turn him around after all.

"Let me see it," Tydus finally said, gesturing toward the bag.

"Fine," answered Rigo. He pulled open the flap on the leather satchel and took hold of the Chalice by its thick, sculpted stem. He let the satchel fall to the ground as he removed the artifact and held it out before him to show Tydus.

The Colonel's expression slowly shifted as he looked at it, from his skeptical indifference to open wonder right before Rigo's eyes. The beauty of the Chalice mesmerized him. After a long moment of quiet admiration, he moved closer to Rigo. Rigo stood his ground, working hard to look calm now and in control despite the presence and draw of the Chalice. Reluctantly, he let Tydus take it in hand to examine it and took a step back to give him the space. The fascination in the Colonel's eyes was so odd. Rigo got the impression that he wasn't a man who became overwhelmed easily. Angered, absolutely, but not infatuated, not like this.

"This…" he muttered absently as he looked over the Chalice. "This is…_real_, isn't it? This is the Chalice of legend."

"I think so," Rigo said.

"It's…beautiful," Tydus admitted.

"It is," Rigo agreed.

"And this…this is the _key_ to the Fountain of Nayru? This is how the Waters would become unlocked?"

Rigo answered again, trying to snuff out a laugh beneath his response. The Colonel's absolute fixation was just too amusing. "As I understand it, yeah," he said. "If we get that back to your Queen, the Waters are safe. They can't be touched."

Tydus nodded slowly. "Of course," he said. "It would be protected under royal guard." He turned the Chalice around and stared into the blue emblem on the side, which rippled in the dim light of his tent. "But then," Tydus went on. "The Chalice would never be able to serve its true purpose."

As quickly as it had come, Rigo's amusement crashed and burned. His stomach turned, and that look of infatuation in the Colonel's eyes became less childish and immediately more dangerous.

"…what?" he asked, but he didn't need to. He already knew what Tydus was getting at.

"If the right men were to raise the Fountain," the Colonel went on. "If the right _man_ was to lead them to it…they could become _indestructable_."

_Oh, no, _Rigo thought. _No, no, no!_

"The right _army_ could become the ultimate defense for the Kingdom of Hyrule. Their leader could become its _King_. Uncontested. Unbeatable, and immortal."

He looked up at Rigo, fanaticism in his eyes now, the Chalice glowing in his clenched fist. "I've never seen the realization of a legend before. I should thank you, Rigo," he said. "I always believed the Waters of Nayru were no more than a fairy tale. But you've proved me wrong. _This_ is too magnificent to be anything other than what it is. Now that you've brought this to me, now that I've _seen_ it, I know what needs to be done. I know my destiny. And destiny must be fulfilled."


	36. Unexpected Consequences

**The Waters of Nayru  
****Chapter 36: Unexpected Consequences**

By, Frank Hunter

Rigo stood before Tydus, who towered, manic in his obsession. "The Chalice needs to go to Zelda, Colonel," he pleaded rationally, fearing though that the Colonel was already beyond reason. "Those were your _orders_, and that was the bargain!"

"To hell with my orders," Tydus said. "And to hell with the Queen. Her days are numbered now. There will be new law here before long!"

Rigo bared himself. There was only one thing to do, and if it was going to be done, it had to be done fast. The window of opportunity was closing.

He lunged for the Chalice and grabbed onto it. It was still in Tydus's closed fist. Still clenched tight. As Rigo tried to pry it from him, a flicker of fear passed before his eyes, but that transformed immediately into the Colonel's familiar rage, the look Rigo had seen in him as a child on the Stockade rooftop, right after he'd cut his face.

"You _whelp_!" Tydus growled, and backhanded Rigo across the cheek with a closed fist. Rigo saw stars upon impact and went sprawling across the tent, but scrambled quickly to his feet. No, he decided right off the bat. This wasn't how this would happen. This wouldn't play out the way the Colonel wanted. Rigo wasn't a helpless child anymore. He couldn't simply be thrown around at the whims of another man. He was strong enough to defend himself, and he could end this here.

"I knew it," Tydus spat at him. "All along, I've known it. You _are_ a liar and a thief, just as I've always said. You'd steal the Chalice for yourself and burn Hyrule to the ground. What should I have expected? You filthy, disgusting _Gerudo_." Tydus reached down to his waist with his empty hand and drew his sword from its scabbard. It was a long sword and the tent was not _that_ large. Rigo had very little space to maneuver here. And, he was, as usual, unarmed.

"It's about time I finally _dealt_ with you," Tydus went on. "And the rest of your so-called _people. _Desert rats, all of them. They'd use the Chalice against us, given the chance. They want us all dead." His eyes focused on Rigo. "_You_ want us dead. It's what you've wanted all along."

"I wanted," Rigo said, "to end this. This is your last chance to do it peacefully."

Tydus snarled and wasted no time. His sword before him, he lunged at Rigo in the tight, enclosed space.

_Grip, _came the silent voice of Nabooru in his head. _Counter. _And just like that, he was back in his prison cell, back in a training session, dealing with a brute and a shiv.

The sword came at him and Rigo sidestepped lightly, grabbed the wrist that held the sword, and used Tydus's momentum against him to drive him forward. As the Colonel faltered, Rigo head butted him square in the nose. He heard the appendage snap and felt the impact let loose a flow of blood across his forehead.

Rigo released the wrist and the Colonel stumbled backward. The hand that held the Chalice came up to his face and wiped the initial red mess away. The impact only seemed to make him angrier. He came again, not so fast this time. He learned quickly from his mistakes. He swung at Rigo with a controlled blade, which the young man ducked and parried away from.

_Dodge, _Nabooru added.

"Done," Rigo said, as he backed into and knocked over the table with the maps on it. He reached out again to try and catch Tydus's arm in motion, but the Colonel recognized the movement, shifted, and swiped downward with his sword catching Rigo at his elbow. The blade cut cloth and flesh quickly and cleanly, and Rigo felt the sharp pain of its sting. But, Nabooru yelled at him, _Press!_ and he knew better to ignore her.

As Tydus reveled in his successful hit, Rigo pressed unexpectedly, taking advantage of the distraction, sending a well-aimed kick at the man's leg. Tydus reacted quickly, attempting to slash out at Rigo's foot, but Rigo pulled back the feint in time to send a second kick to Tydus's other leg. He connected with Tydus's knee hard, though Rigo didn't hear the crack he'd hoped to from the blow. The Hylian armor must have helped, even at its breaks and weak points then, and the kick must not have landed as solidly as Rigo had hoped. The wound on his arm was hurting, preventing him from thinking, aiming clearly.

Tydus did almost fall despite everything, but was able to hold his feet and back off a few paces, collecting himself. "You loathesome little devil," he growled. He then projected, and shouted at the top of his lungs to be heard outside the tent, "GUARDS!"

_Press!_ Nabooru repeated. _Press, press! Shoulder!_

It took less than seconds for footsteps to sound outside the tent. Rigo knew he would have time for only one more attempt, so it would have to be good. He rushed in on Tydus, taking the offensive for the first time, and catching Tydus off-guard with it. It's not typically a wise strategy to close the distance on an armed opponent if you are not armed, but the element of surprise did the boy well. Tydus attempted a swipe, but Rigo was already close enough for a body check. He swept the weapon aside and pounded into Tydus with everything he had. As he felt the bigger man driven back, through the canvas of the tent wall and off balance, he took the opportunity to grab the sword hand one last time, clutch it between his forearms, and twist with everything he had. _That_ time he _did_ hear the resounding SNAP! he was hoping for, the indication that he had dislocated Tydus's shoulder, and the Colonel cried out in pain, a sound that Rigo was disturbed to find he enjoyed. But he had bigger things to focus on now.

Out in the twilight of the chasm, the tent collapsed, there was no longer anything concealing Rigo from the army of Hylian soldiers that were loyal to Tydus. He felt their eyes on him immediately as the tent fell behind him, could hear the sound of swords being drawn and shouting for squads to get onto the alert.

Rigo, taking advantage of Tydus's broken arm, wrapped his own arm under the limb and held fast, turning quickly and stepping up behind the Colonel. The pain in the man's shoulder kept him from retaliating. Rigo was able to wrest the sword from the man's limp wrist, taking it in hand, and wrapping that hand around the man's neck, pressing the blade to his throat. He now had a hostage.

"Stay back!" he shouted to the army. "Anyone gets close, and I'll cut him open!"

The army murmured, but held their distance, unwilling, it seemed, to gamble their commander's life. Rigo knew their numbers were only in the realm of 500, which had seemed a relatively small force for an army when leaving Castle Town. But now, surrounded by those 500 armed men, it seemed an impossibly large number of enemies to deal with.

A gurgling chuckle came from Tydus's throat. "You're gonna kill me, Rigo?"

"Shut up," Rigo said, and flexed his muscle, tightening his grip on the dislocated arm. This resulted in a new shout of pain from Tydus, and an immediate reaction from his troops.

"Stay back!" Rigo repeated. Caught up in the rush of everything, he didn't know what his next move should be, but felt it was best to get out from the middle of this army. The only thing he could see nearby was the narrow, makeshift bridge over the river, and there were guards between him and it.

He began dragging Tydus in that direction. "Move!" he yelled at the soldiers as he drew nearer. They hesitated to obey him, so he squeezed Tydus's arm again, eliciting the same reaction of pain, which got them moving a little faster. They cleared a path and Rigo saw the escape route open to him.

As the retreat began in earnest though, he glanced down at Tydus's other hand and noticed for the first time that it was empty. The Chalice was gone. Rigo stopped long enough to scan the ground around him, but it wasn't anywhere in sight. The Colonel must have dropped it when Rigo had plowed into him, lost it in the mess of the collapsed tent somewhere. He bit his lip. There was no time, no way to go looking for it now. These guards would only take so long to come up with a way to kill him and retrieve their commander. Every second spent here, Rigo was living on borrowed time. He growled a curse, but could do nothing more.

He made for the bridge, pulling Tydus along with him as his feet found solid planks of wood. "Keep off the bridge!" he yelled back at the army. "Anyone sets a foot on it, he's dead!"

He backed up across the chasm, slowly, one step at a time, and though the Hylian army congregated on the other side, they listened to him for the time being and kept to the shore. Below, the waters of Lake Hylia tumbled over rocks and rapids making the fall both foreboding and dangerous. Rigo kept his grip tight on Tydus, prepared for the man to try something here, waiting to let go and let him stumble and fall over in his effort. But to his credit, he didn't.

Rigo reached the opposite shore and stepped back onto the loose desert ground. Across the chasm, the Hylians were anxiously attempting to come to some decision about what to do. Several archers had lined up in front of the rest, aiming at Rigo, poised to fire but holding back in fear of hitting his hostage. That was particularly dangerous, but still Rigo felt that this had to be the moment of truth. He couldn't very well haul Tydus back across the desert. He just hoped the oncoming darkness would help.

"You'd better kill me," Tydus said. "Or I'll be after you the moment I've done with your rats' nest."

Rigo considered it. How easy it would be to just press the sword into flesh and end this now. But how would that stop the archers from opening up on him when it was over? Down Tydus would go, and there would be nothing keeping the Hylian forces from bearing down on him. They would be leaderless and angry, and with a mind for nothing for vengeance even if he got away for the moment. At least with Tydus in place, the army would be kept focused. Rigo's death wasn't the Colonel's greatest ambition. If he remained in charge, the Hylians would keep to their quest for the Waters. Without him, they'd only come after Rigo.

No. The man needed to survive, or at least appear to. Rigo just needed one last good distraction to get out of this mess.

He pulled Tydus close, squeezing his shoulder one last time to disorient him in pain. "Come get me then," he challenged. The instant it was said, he released his grip on the Hylian commander, shoved him forward, and planted a heel straight into the man's back. With a forceful kick he knocked Tydus over, and watched the man tumble forward, over the edge of the ravine.

He'd hoped for a genuine fall, something that would mandate a full-scale search-and-rescue down below with the move, but even as Rigo twisted away to run, in that split second, he saw Tydus's good hand shoot back and catch on to the ledge. Rigo grimaced. Tydus was a survivor. He wasn't going to go down that easily. But, as with the Chalice, there was nothing he could do for it now. If he wanted to stay alive, he had to move.

He put his back to the bridge and ran, full speed, back out of the chasm toward the desert proper. It was a few seconds before the archers coped from what had happened, and though he was almost out of range and the darkness was setting in, arrows began whizzing by him dangerously close. Only one struck him, straight into the small of his back, but thanks to the leather armor gifted to him by Zelda before his journey, it did no damage, simply lodging there in his cloak.

As he turned first one corner and then another, he heard the voice of Tydus call out the word "Wait!" from behind him, but it was not intended for him nor would he have listened if it had been. Rigo guessed the Colonel would want to make sure the Chalice was secure before scattering his army in a search. He just kept on running without looking back.

Into the dark and into the sands he went, and as night fell and he finally began to slow, only then did he realize that he had cut himself off entirely from the Gerudo pueblo and his people, whom he knew Tydus intended to attack. He had left them to fend for themselves and had taken away their source of hope and inspiration. And, in doing so, he had created a monster.

He cursed under his breath. It was an entirely underwhelming and ineffective way to deal with the situation at hand, but he didn't care in the slightest. Pureet had trusted him to make the right choice with the Chalice, and this is what he had done instead. He didn't think he could have possibly gone any more wrong.


	37. Plan B

**The Waters of Nayru  
****Chapter 37: Plan B  
**By, Frank Hunter

There was barely enough time to tear a strip of fabric from his cloak and wrap up his injured arm before the desert came to life. A single patrol was sent out after Rigo, a dozen men, just after his escape. The men looked diligent, and seemed like they would be tough in normal circumstances. But it was dark, and the desert was not their domain. Rigo knew they were already afraid of this place, and they didn't expect him to be quite as dangerous as he was proving to be. So, Rigo was able, without much trouble, to play on their fears himself.

Two of the men carried torches, and so the rest spread into two groups, searching the sands for tracks or trails that might lead them to him. These strategies, while no doubt useful in the woodlands and fields these men hailed from, were futile in a place where the terrain shifts every time the wind blows. That, and the torches weren't doing any favors for their night vision.

Rigo circled around behind one of the groups and without much trouble stabbed the torch-man through the back with the sword he'd taken from Tydus. The man openly gasping in his death throes, Rigo snatched his torch and jammed the flame into the sands. It extinguished with a hiss, giving the Hylians no more than a glimpse of his face before plunging them back into deadly darkness. Rigo was able to dispatch one more as the survivors panicked, regrouping with the second half, the one that still had light.

The now single squad prodded about in the firelight, looking desperately for him. The squad leader attempted to retain some semblance of order. But Rigo smiled. They didn't understand the true danger. They didn't realize that the second man Rigo had killed was carrying a bow and a full quiver of arrows. He now had a projectile weapon. The targets, lit up by their own firelight, didn't stand a chance.

Rigo fired an arrow into the squad, bringing down another man with a pained shriek. While the rest worked to figure out what had just happened, he brought down another. After that, the squad leader finally wised up, and ordered that the torch be put out.

As the light went away, Rigo dropped down low, lying down in a bed of dry desert grass. His cloak camouflaged him well enough in the dark, and he bided his time until the squad moved close enough to him that he could see them in moonlight. Slowly, quietly, he loaded one final arrow, and when that one hit its mark, the squad leader was dead.

The other soldiers, now devoid of leadership, decided they'd had enough and retreated back toward the chasm, back to their camp. Rigo watched from his hiding place and let them go, coming out only when he was sure he was alone again.

The combat had been satisfying. Rigo had trained so hard with Nabooru for so many years, and rarely got the opportunity to do anything with that training. Now that it had finally been unleashed, it felt good. Beyond good, it felt _just_, to get some good solid revenge on the ones who had held him captive for so long. He knew that these men, these _specific_ men, probably had nothing to do with it, but in that moment he didn't care. He walked among the corpses he'd left in the sand pillaging for supplies, coming away with more arrows, a flint and steel, and a small dagger that would fit in one's boot. No rations or water, though. They hadn't intended to be out that long. Rigo scowled. He knew all too well what it would be like to go thirsty in the desert, but the only source of hydration was Lake Hylia, back down the bridge, and that was no good. It was liable to be under watch by archers, and he remembered all too well how unsafe the jump was. He'd just have to be grateful it was night and he had some time before the heat of the desert sun fell upon him.

His scavenging done, Rigo got up and started to go…where? He didn't know. With the only route back to Hyrule guarded, he couldn't return to the castle and inform Zelda about what had happened here. What would be the point of it, anyway? The whole army she'd been able to assemble for this national emergency was _here_ anyway. If those men were loyal to Tydus, there was nothing she could do now. No one she could send to challenge the Colonel.

Those men were also standing right between Rigo and Amili's army of Gerudo. He had no way of getting to them, to help them before Tydus mobilized for the attack. But even that barely mattered. Even assuming he could get past the army, assuming he _could_ join the Gerudo, once Amili discovered that Rigo had taken the Chalice, who's to say she'd _want_ his help anymore? By giving the relic to an enemy force…maybe now he really _was_ a traitor…

He thought of the mad glint in Tydus's eye, the way he was pushed over the brink by the pull of the Chalice. Or maybe that sort of malice had always been in him. He had always been conniving, selfish, and despotic. Now he just had the opportunity to sate his hunger for power, and he'd latched onto it like a tick.

"Aaaagh!" Rigo shouted, and clutched at his head. What did _any _of it matter anymore? Incentives and ambitions, they were all meaningless. The only thing that mattered was that a _war_ was coming _tonight_. His people would suffer for it. _Amili_ might suffer for it, and regardless of what she thought about him, Rigo knew how he felt about her. She was the girl who had come out with him into the desert as a child, and had saved his life at least twice. The woman who he refused to embarrass or cast aside. Maybe he'd known the truth as a child, but the feelings had stirred in him again now that he'd seen her, grown and resilient. The notion of hurting her had bothered him so much, and the idea that she might be killed in a war for no visible gain was too much to bear. And why?

Because he loved her. This, he now understood.

_Penny for your thoughts?_ Nabooru chimed in.

Rigo's train of thought derailed and he shot back to the moment. "How is it possible you can be so calm?" he asked the spirit.

_Death gives you an incredible perspective on these things, _she said. _It's not easy to get too worked up. Regardless, we should probably do something about Sergeant Stupid back there. There's not much time._

"I don't know what to do," Rigo admitted. He shared his ideas about Zelda with Nabooru who, uselessly, agreed with him entirely. _She won't be able to do much,_ Nabooru said. _Though if you leave now, you might be able to head him off at the Fountain. Ambush him._

"Would he know where to find it?" Rigo asked.

_Who knows? Depends how in he was with the Royal Familiy. It sounded like he was pretty confident._

"None of that helps Amili, though. The Gerudo could all be dead before he went there. We need to stay here and help." Rigo fidgeted his hands, wishing he could do something constructive. "Hyrule's useless. And we can't get reinforcements from the other end either. It's two weeks to Jirin from here. The Gerudo won't be able to hold out that long." He thought on that for a moment and a crazy idea came to him. His eyes went wide as it took hold. "Wait, maybe not. What did that guy, that Fyer guy say about the big cannon in front of his place? He said it could shoot you to the moon, right? What if we used that? Do you think it could blast me all the way across the desert? Could it get me to Jirin tonight?!"

_Assuming you could make it to the lake safely, and assuming the impact from that kind of shot didn't crush your bones to jelly? _Nabooru clarified.

Rigo sputtered. "Y…yeah?"

_How would you get back?_

The idea shattered to a million pieces in front of him. Rigo's shoulders sagged and he groaned again in defeat. Yeah, that was a major oversight, but he couldn't focus. His mind's eye kept shifting to Amili's face…to the image of her dead and bleeding out on the desert sands. "At least I'm _trying_," he said helplessly. "We can't go to Hyrule and we can't go to Jirin. It's just us and the desert!"

_There's always the Arbiter's Grounds,_ said Nabooru.

Rigo had considered it. The Arbiter's Grounds, the only other place out here that was reachable. But it didn't offer him anything he didn't already have. "There's nothing there but gold." He remembered his adventure into the Temple, the creepiness of it all. He shivered. "Gold, and ghosts. That won't be any help."

_Actually, you may be wrong about that. There are a ton of them out there, though. The ghosts I mean,_ Nabooru said. _If you could assemble them all, get them to follow you? You might be able to do something with them._

"Right," Rigo said. "Yeah, I'll just go talk to them. Convince them to turn into some kind of mystical, spectral army. 'Cause I know how to do that. Come on, Nabooru. The cannon was more realistic."

He was ready to write off the idea as utter craziness, but Nabooru didn't respond to him. She was, in fact, deliberately silent, in that way she tended to be when she knew something Rigo didn't. So for the sake of argument, he pushed the ridiculousness of the idea aside and prompted her.

"What?" he asked. "You're telling me _you_ can do it?"

_I _am_ a spirit, genius. Just 'cause you're the only _mortal_ that can hear me doesn't mean you're the only person I talk to. Jeez, I'd go crazy._

"You mean there are ghosts…"

_Around you? Almost always. That Stockade place, for example, was full of death. Of course there'd be spirits lingering. _

Rigo's hair stood up on end at the idea of invisible people watching him, around him all the time. He'd thought it had just been in those special places, the ones that felt cold, haunted.

_Most of the time, ghosts are harmless,_ Nabooru went on._On their own, they can't do very much to interact with the physical world. Blow a breeze through a curtain or something like that, but nothing too aggressive, nothing scary. In places of spiritual power though, it's a different story. There are places in Hyrule where the dead were once summoned to congregate and were entrusted to protect certain powers. Two Temples, specifically. The Shadow Temple deep beneath Hyrule, and the Spirit Temple in the desert._

"The Arbiter's Grounds," Rigo resolved.

_Quite right. The Shadow Temple was always the more potent of the two, its purpose being to contain malicious spirits that would otherwise wander the lands of Hyrule. By drawing them there, they were contained and could not manifest and cause harm._

"I thought you said ghosts couldn't affect the mortal world," Rigo said.

_Not on their own. But in large groups, or under the control of a talented sorcerer, they can. So the Royal Family used its magic to designate the Shadow Temple spiritually as a place of the damned. So, the ghouls went there, and the Temple was watched over by the Sheikah, the ancient protectors of the Royal Family._

"That's back in Hyrule, though. What was the Spirit Temple?" Rigo asked.

_That Temple was different. It was supposed to be a place of pensive reflection, a draw for the calmer, less violent spirits across Hyrule. It was a place of spiritual fulfillment. But, whatever its original purpose, that really doesn't matter now. The Hylians built an enormous prison complex over the original Temple. In doing so, they introduced what must have been decades of hate and sadness and death into it. But, the Temple's energy is still there. Those souls who died in the prison wouldn't be drawn to the Shadow Temple, not with the Spirit Temple so near. You've felt them yourself, outside the Temple walls._

"That icy cold feeling, like you're being watched?"

_You are being watched, _Nabooru said. _By the spirits of countless dead prisoners. Many of them were very dangerous in life. Many of them still hold a grudge against the Hylians who held them there. They're not the monsters that dwell in the Shadow Temple, but with the right push, they might be inspired to take some of those decades of anger out on the Hylian army nearby._

"They'd become like those skeletons that attacked us?" Rigo asked.

_No, that was powered by one of the Temple's own booby traps, _Nabooru dismissed. _Actual ghosts won't usually be able to become so solid. Well, maybe in the Shadow Temple. Not here. But, we can make them visible, and some might even be able to affect the physical world. It could be enough to give the Gerudo an edge if the Hylians think the spirits are on their side._

"That's a little flimsy, Nabooru," Rigo said, already beginning to turn and trot toward the place where Rigo knew the Arbiter's Grounds stood, scraping at the darkened sky.

_If you have anything better, I'm all ears._

He still had nothing. The plan was something, but that was all it was. Rigo wasn't looking forward to revisiting that haunted place, and he certainly wasn't looking forward to amassing an army of dead prisoners to get his back. He'd always known to be wary of ghosts and wandering souls, but Nabooru was willing to just engage with them. To plunge right in.

"You're _sure_ this can't backfire on us?" Rigo asked. "These spirits won't just become powerful and then take all their problems out on us?"

_If you do what I say,_ _and I mean _exactly_ what_ _I say, then we'll come out of this alright. _Nabooru instructed. _Probably._

"Real vote of confidence there…" Rigo remarked.

_I can make you a guarantee if you want, but that won't mean anything if I'm wrong._

Fair enough.

Rigo put his head down and picked up speed, running as quickly as he dared to in the dark. He pushed his doubts out of mind and committed to this brainless, insane, irrational, and wholly desperate plan. He figured there'd be plenty of time for doubt and criticism later. If they survived the night.


	38. The Ritual

**The Waters of Nayru  
****Chapter 38: The Ritual  
**By, Frank Hunter

Returning to the Arbiter's Grounds was like reopening an old wound. Rigo saw it all, again at night, and was reminded of the time before when he had almost died and had been forced to flee into the hands of his enemies. He remembered his hallucination in the desert as he left the ruins, and as he closed the distance back to them, he glanced into the distance to see if, by some hellish chance, Ganondorf again stood there, still mocking him.

"_The world will be shaped by the actions of the King,"_ the apparition had told him. "_And the King shall rule it all beneath his heel._"

And by the Sand Goddess, if Amili had her way, such a future _would_ come to pass. Rigo _would_ become the eventual King of Gerudo, and rule over Hyrule as the lord and master of all the land. Yes, Amili's intentions were pure for the moment, but power has a tendency to corrupt, and if the Fountain was as powerful as it was reputed to be, then the Gerudo wouldn't be satisfied to just live on the outskirts if they came to control it. It might take years or decades, but the people would push to move in on the fertile lands of the Hylians, to claim what was due to them. And much as Amili was forced to follow the desires of the people in her station as Stewardess, so Rigo would be slave to their will as King. The crown was still too delicate. He would have to rule his people lightly, and would likely never have the sheer power or influence to tell the Gerudo, "No." To tell them, "I know what you all want, and you cannot have it." They would fight him just as they did Sooru.

And if that didn't happen, then what? Tydus would claim the Fountain and challenge Zelda. And if he won, he would become a dictator the like of which Hyrule has never seen. Given enough time, he would come after the Gerudo again, and war would be at their doorstep once more. War with a foe more powerful than they could hope to defeat.

There was no way to win in this situation. As the hallucination had predicted, regardless of the outcome, Rigo was to blame. So, shouldn't he push for the future where he could be in control? Regardless of what might then happen, regardless of what he'd have to do, he'd at least have Amili. And surely he'd be a better ruler than Tydus, wouldn't he?

He didn't know.

The shapes of ruins began to appear beside him and that familiar feeling of coldness began to run up and down his spine. It was more eerie even than before, now that he knew specifically what the feeling meant. He tried to picture legions of dead eyes watching him out of the dark from all directions, but couldn't come to terms with the thousands of them that must have been there. Too many to count.

After a time, Nabooru said, _You can stop here._ Another few minutes, and he'd have been in the twisted, craggy paths leading to the Temple's doorstep.

"Are they watching me?" Rigo asked her, quietly.

_They're aware of you,_ she said. _But there are some things you'll need to do now to get their full attention._

Rigo dry swallowed. There was no sense stalling. "What kind of things?"

_You need to find something you can use as a channel, to focus the energy, _Nabooru said. _A sorcerer would have a staff. You need something similar._

"A staff…" Rigo said, and began to search about, pawing through the ruins. He came up with a broken piece of two-by-four that looked like it had once been part of the architecture. It was the length of his forearm and splintered on one end.

"Eh?" he asked.

_That'll do,_ Nabooru told him. _But you'll need to make it more suitable to hold power. Wait a second. Just keep your eye on it._

Rigo held the piece of wood out in front of him and watched it. He had forgotten that, besides being able to communicate with spirits, Nabooru had, in life, dabbled in sorcery. Though it may have been at least partly against her will, she still knew enough to get by in the art. Maybe she really did know enough to pull something like this off.

As he watched, images began to appear before his eyes on the chunk of wood. Two symbols, specifically. He could only assume Nabooru was showing those to him. "What're those?"

_You need to carve those runes on the wood,_ she said. _It will help the flow of power through the channel._

Rigo looked them over. Both were circular patterns that looked like they fed into one another. They weren't _overly_ elaborate, but they weren't simple shapes either. "Is this really necessary?"

_What'd I say? _Nabooru asked him. _You follow all my instructions, _all of them_, and we get out of this alive. So start following._

"Alright alright, keep your pants on," Rigo said. "It's just gonna take some time. We're in something of a rush, you remember?"

Rigo gave the task the twenty minutes it took to chip at the wood and carve the symbols roughly with his newly acquired short sword. When it was done, Nabooru deemed it acceptable and went on.

_Kneel down and draw a circle in the sand around you,_ she said. _Big enough so your foot won't slip out of it by accident._

Rigo did so with his finger. "Good?"

_No. Scratch it out, do it again, _she said.

"Why?"

_One of the sides is flatter than the other. It needs to be perfect._

Rigo scowled and did it again. And when he was done, Nabooru told him to redo it again. He lost count at twelve, but bit back his retorts and comments, knowing that Nabooru wouldn't insist on this if it weren't necessary. Eventually, one of his efforts seemed to sate her.

_Now cut a lock of your hair and scatter it along the circle. Be careful not to break the design._

Rigo put his short sword to a gathered strand of hair and sliced it cleanly off. "What's that do?" he asked as he began distributing the strands of hair gently within the curve around him.

_It imbues your own aura into the circle,_ she said. _It will help the spirits identify the energy of the spell as your own._

"Great," Rigo said, not sure he really wanted a big arrow over his head in case the ghosts decided they didn't like what he was about to do.

_I think we're about ready to start,_ Nabooru said. _There are several steps of progression on a complicated spell like this, and you're gonna have to hit them just right or the power you're building up could scatter, or explode. Understand kid, I normally wouldn't recommend anyone inexperienced try something like this._

"Yeah, I get that," he said.

_The first thing you're gonna need to do is drop into a meditative state. Once you have, you'll begin with the chant '_Eksfjast Dumhrahrke' over and over again in rhythm_._

"_Eksevast dumarky_?" Rigo asked.

_'_Eksfjast Dumhrahrke'_, _Nabooru repeated.

"Esefejest dumb…crap. What language is that?"

_Ancient Hylian,_ Nabooru said.

"Can't you just translate that for me?" Rigo asked.

_The words won't hold the same power,_ Nabooru said.

Rigo tried several more times to pronounce the chant, but was unable to do it sufficiently for Nabooru. It felt like his tongue didn't know how to move the right way to produce the sound as she was. And this was only the first part of the ritual.

_You need to get this right,_ Nabooru said to him.

"Ugh," Rigo groaned. "We're wasting time here. Why can't you just do it?"

_I'd need to take full control of your body, _she answered.

"Fine," Rigo said. "Do it."

Nabooru fell silent for a moment. Giving up control was something Rigo had sworn he would never do, not after the first time he'd ignorantly allowed the spirit to take his body and was unable to get it back without her allowing it. She'd never pushed the issue, either. There had been a number of times when this would have made sense, but Nabooru understood that the idea was a violation on some level, understood why Rigo wouldn't allow it. His permission now was something of a surprise.

_Are you sure? _she asked.

"Nabooru, if I can't trust you with my life at this point, then I'm dead tonight anyway. You're the one that can get this done, and better than me in every way. So do it."

There was another brief moment of silence before Rigo felt that strange sensation he'd felt once before as a child, the sense of the otherworldly cold washing over him, causing him to go numb from head to toe. When the feeling had fully engulfed him, he felt his limbs start to move on their own. He felt his brain start to issue commands and develop thoughts independent of him. All of it was weird, albeit something he had felt before. However, there was something new, too. Something was pulling at him, drawing him backwards, out of his body. It wasn't an overwhelming force, but a nagging sensation, like someone tugging on his cloak. Like someone wanted him to go somewhere. When he took a peek out of the eyes that were not, at the moment, his, he thought he understood what the magnetism was.

Now that his body belonged to Nabooru, he was essentially a spirit. And, as a spirit, he was granted the ability to see and communicate with other spirits. And see them he did. They were scattered around him, all throughout the ruins, and glowing in a bright shade of blue. And there were too many to count. _Thousands_ of them wandered about, looking aimless and forlorn. _Haunting_ this place as they did. Rigo stared at them in wonder; never in the deepest recesses of his imagination did he ever dare to believe that there could be so many ghosts in the world, living in the fabric between life and death. It was sobering.

Rigo ignored the spectral pull and heard his voice begin to chant as Nabooru touched the rim of his circle and pronounced the worlds of the Ancient Hylian spell perfectly in his voice. He sat back in his own head and watched her work.

As she held the carved piece of wood before her in one hand and went through several repetitions of the chant, Rigo noticed an obvious difference in the poise of the spirits around them. Several of them stopped ambling and fell still. These ghosts slowly turned, looking at Nabooru, regarding her with empty eyes. Listening, Rigo though. Listening to her words.

He wondered what they meant.

As more of the spirits began shifting their attention onto her, Nabooru altered the chant, shifting into more words that were grossly unfamiliar to Rigo but seemed to strike a chord with the ghosts. She thrust the wooden channel out before her, and Rigo saw that the runes he had carved in their surface were glowing lightly blue, the same blue color as the spirits. They began walking toward her, congregating before her in a crowd that started with only a few but, as time went on, grew into hundreds and hundreds. Nabooru kept projecting her spell as the ghosts kept coming, pulling ever closer together. They didn't seem to mind that they overlapped one another in a strange, muddled conglomeration.

Many of them looked like prisoners: large, angry, heavily muscled men. But, there were others, too. Scrawny ghosts, elderly ghosts. There were women, some of them Gerudo. Prisoners, he assumed, of the Ganondorf War. And right in front was one small Hylian child who, in life, had had straight black hair and bangs that came down to her eyebrows. Her vacant eyes bored a hole straight into Rigo as she listened to Nabooru's words, and Rigo could only wonder what she had done in life to deserve spending her death in this place.

As Nabooru shifted the chant again, it became clear that she now had the attention of the vast majority of the ghosts, and they were gathered in front of her. Still though, Rigo felt the magnetic pull drawing him the other way, backward, out of his body. And…where? If it wasn't the ghosts causing this, what was it?

He wanted to ask Nabooru about it, but was afraid to interrupt her spell. He instead decided to occupy himself. He'd follow it himself. Nabooru would be at this for a little longer at least, and his curiosity needed to be sated.

Figuring the pull would carry him wherever it wanted him to go, he relaxed himself, put his "feet" up, and let the force at his back tug him. There was a strange sensation as he was plucked from his body and saw it for an instant as he slipped out the back. He was a fearsome sight in that moment, the wind lashing about his cloak and hair and his arms outstretched, but just as quickly as it came, the sight was gone, and Rigo was being whipped through the air at a speed faster than recognition allowed for. He could see nothing for an instant before the motion stopped and he materialized again, and suddenly he was somewhere else.

A sudden explosion boomed before him as blasting powder erupted on the ground, disorienting and terrifying. So stunned, and through no drive of his own, Rigo ducked back behind a rock. To his side, in the midst of the blast, he could see the body of a Hylian soldier that had been badly burned and battered by the bomb collapse to the ground.

Another soldier sprinted over to him through the smoke of the explosion and ducked down at the rock by his knees. "Sir," the soldier said. "Raiding parties are in position. Go ahead?"

Rigo was about to ask what the soldier was talking about, when another voice resounded from over his shoulder. A familiar voice. "Shift Squad B out to the left so they hook up by that brig. We'll close the animals in the middle."

Rigo turned and, if he'd had legs, would have stumbled backward at the sight of Tydus, not two feet away from him. _You! _he shouted.

Tydus scowled and shouted at the soldier. "Get moving!"

"Sir!" the soldier said, and scurried away, presumably back to do what he'd been ordered to do. Rigo's heart clenched in a moment of fear, but Tydus didn't respond to him at all. Did not seem to _see_ him even as Rigo stood before him. It took Rigo a moment to remind himself that he was a spirit, and that the rules of visibility and tangibility didn't apply to him just then. But still, what was this? What was he looking at?

Tydus pulled back to issue orders to additional groups of soldiers. Several got moving in the same direction the last soldier had. Another resounding explosion went off, but not close enough to hit anyone he could see. Rigo looked over the soldiers and the scenery, tried to reconcile the rocks and paths he was seeing here lit by torchlight. And as he did, he began to put it together. He realized where he was. What he was seeing.

He was at the pueblo. And Tydus had already marched his troops out. The battle against the Gerudo had begun.

_No!_ Rigo cried. He tried to sprint away from Tydus, to dart out into the opening and see just how much damage had been done, what the Hylians were doing to the Gerudo already, but couldn't manage it. It was like he was tethered to the Colonel by invisible ropes.

"What did you say to me!?" Tydus demanded of one of the soldiers.

"Uh, nothing, sir!" the soldier.

"It'd better be! Now fall out!"

"Sir!"

Well that was odd. Tydus had thought Rigo's scream had come from the soldier? Why had he even heard it? Rigo tried to assemble the puzzle pieces of the situation. He was obviously attached to the Colonel in the way that Nabooru was usually attached to him. Well, maybe not exactly. The experience was different than when he was in his own body. Here he was outside watching over things, not stuck in the Colonel's head, and he counted his blessings for small favors. But why was this different, and how did he get here?

The answer, when he found it, was obvious.

The Silver Gauntlets. A quick glance at the Colonel's hands confirmed it. He had seen the man wearing them in the Stockade, and so Tydus was still. When Rigo'd first met Nabooru, she'd been bound to the Gauntlets and the Gauntlets alone. Rigo had inadvertently given her another choice, a place to take refuge inside his own mind, but he'd known she always had the _option_ to return to the Gauntlets if she wanted to. Now that he'd switched places with her, that ability seemed to have passed to him.

Rigo was careful not to say anything more. He didn't want to give anything away, didn't want Tydus to wise up and realize whose voice he was hearing. This could be a tremendous advantage to him if he played it right. He'd be able to see anything that Tydus was doing at any time, so long as the Colonel wore the Gauntlets. But it would be useless if Rigo wasn't able to _do_ anything with the information. He had to get back to his body now and get things moving.

Relaxing himself, he felt for that magnetic pull that had brought him here and sure enough, when he focused on it, he could still feel it there. Letting himself again go limp, he latched onto the pull and was tugged away from Tydus as quickly as he had come. An instant later, he was back at the Arbiter's Grounds.

_Nabooru! _he shouted at the spirit. _We've gotta go now!_

_Busy, _she responded to him silently.

_They've started the war! _Rigo shouted at her.

_Kid. Shut. Up. I know. Will go. Need time._

Rigo bit his eagerness and looked out at the scene around them. Nabooru's chanting continued, but now _all_ of the ghosts were standing before her. If there were any that had not come to listen, they had left this place. It had become hers. What's more, each of the ghosts now held something in their hands. They were armed with spectral axes, knives, chains, and all matter of blunt instruments. They looked horrifying. Ready to kill something.

Rigo forced himself to wait, knowing that Nabooru was not deliberately wasting time but fighting the incessant need to hurry her along anyway. This weirdness was getting to be too much for him, and the only thing keeping him from losing it was the continuing need to hold it together for Amili's sake, to save her life before it was too late.

After what felt like an eternity, Nabooru finally stopped the chant and spoke to him. _We're ready, _she said.

_About freakin' time,_ Rigo answered. _How's this work? We gotta move quick. Are they gonna just follow us?_

_Not exactly,_ Nabooru said, and she barked a string of strange words out at the spirits verbally.

Before Rigo could ask her to elaborate, he saw them take action. Several of the spiritual forms began to levitate, their feet floating off the ground. One by one, slowly, they each took off, sliding up into the air as though attached to the wings of giant, invisible birds.

Nabooru struck her hand out against the sand and broke the line of the circle in front of her. There was a palpable whoosh as air and power rushed out of her immediate proximity, and the ghosts seemed to respond to it, becoming even brighter and livelier than before. it was as though they had been energized. They began to rise up more quickly now and all of them turned to the horizon. The first several even began floating away, out in the direction of the pueblo.

Rigo was about to prompt Nabooru to get moving herself, when suddenly he felt his own body begin to lift up into the air, off of his feet, free of gravity and any of the other more sensible laws of physics. Nabooru held his hands out to the sides and the wind blew around and under him. Slowly, steadily, his body crept up into the sky alongside hundreds and hundreds of ghosts, now glowing and pulsing more brightly than before. They all began picking up speed, moving east.

_You have _got_ to be kidding me! _Rigo cried, trying hard to be terrified but mostly just feeling elated. In spite of everything, he was _flying_! The sensation was unreal.

_Fastest way to travel, _Nabooru told him.

_Will the Hylians even see them, though? _he asked.

_Of course. What would be the point otherwise? _Nabooru asked. _When I broke the circle, I gave them some power. They'll be seen, don't worry about that._

_But they won't be able to _do_ anything for real?_ Rigo confirmed.

_They're gonna scare the pants off of a lot of people, no doubt about it. Other than that, I might be able to help a few of them cause some damage. But this isn't exactly easy, kid. If I lose control, break the spell, they'll be gone and we'll be on the one-way gravity train back to the ground. And this has already got me pretty tired. Be prepared to be hurting by the time this is over._

_That's fine, _Rigo said. _We'll deal with it. Let's just _survive_ until this is over._

In the distance, the lights and sounds of small explosions lit up the sky, and Rigo knew that there, over the rocks and in the crevasse, his people were being assaulted by an enemy who wanted nothing short of their complete destruction. He'd be damned if he could have it. They were going to stop this madness tonight, and when it was over, Tydus would be made to pay for his schemes and his crimes.

They swept onward into the battle.


	39. The Battle of Gerudo Valley

**The Waters of Nayru  
****Chapter 39: The Battle of Gerudo Valley**

By, Frank Hunter

Nabooru's army of the damned came upon the battlefield like a storm.

The floating spirits amassed in the skies above the pueblo, spiraling around like the clouds of some unnatural tornado above the world. Though Nabooru still controlled Rigo's body, he watched out the window of his eyes at everything he could. The scene below him was genuinely terrible.

The first thing he noticed were the bodies. There were dozens of them already, Hylian and Gerudo alike, scattered about on the sand and the adobe of the pueblo. The Hylians had attached rope ladders to sharp grappling hooks and lodged them on both sides of the pueblo, granting them access to the roof, where the Gerudo archers had been holding their line, using the distance to their advantage. The Hylians, with their armor and heavy blades, would have the advantage against the Gerudo in close quarters, so once the roof was breached, the Gerudo retreated back inside and raised the heavy wooden gates, barring the entrance. There were no Gerudo that Rigo could see outside the pueblo anymore, and the Hylians were pressed up against the doorways on all levels of the pueblo working with their blades to break apart the wooden gates. Solid as they were, they were only wood and they wouldn't last very long under this kind of concentrated pressure. Rigo could also see occasional arrows, their tips lit by orange fire, pierce through the gates and sail out into the night. The Gerudo were still trying to hold the Hylians off from inside.

All in all, this wasn't looking good for his people.

The spiral of ghosts began to spin faster and faster in the sky. The Hylians below were distracted, but before long, the motion and the light began to attract the attention of some, who called it to the attention of others. The soldiers couldn't see the forms of the individual ghosts from where they stood, and instead just became entranced, nervous at the display of unexpected power, wondering what the source was.

Nabooru waited until she felt her distraction had gained enough momentum, become _distracting enough_, before barking her next order to the spirits.

At her command, the ghosts used the speed they built up in the sky to come swarming down over the pueblo. Those just ahead of Nabooru began a swan dive down onto the battlefield, and the rest followed, drawing the image of a giant waterfall, ready to spill over everything.

The Hylian soldiers faltered, but to their credit, did not outright run at the sight of it. They braced themselves, prepared to challenge some new enemy that they did not know was untouchable.

Rigo saw their faces when they realized what was falling upong them, when they _recognized_ the new foes as ghosts. Nabooru pulled back further so she was deep in the cloud of phantoms, invisibly hidden behind them, but even through it all Rigo could see the fear spreading across their faces. The lead ghosts began taking swipes at the Hylians as they passed at high speed, swinging swords and chains with all the power they could muster. The soldiers ducked and dived out of the way, but although some weren't that quick, none of it made a difference. The spectral weapons, though it appeared as thought the force of them should have shattered bone and cut flesh, did nothing. When they did land a hit, they just passed through the soldiers leaving nothing but, Rigo expected, a cold chill behind.

_Nabooru, they're gonna wise up quick if we're not doing any damage! _Rigo shouted at the spirit.

"Hold your horses!" she cried back out loud. "I've got it."

Nabooru gripped her magical channel in one hand and looked out upon the ghosts, scanning for one that would suit her purposes. She spotted one, a big man devoid of hair and with a dark complexion, wielding a sledgehammer almost as long as he was. The ghost was winding the hammer back, and preparing to land a blow on a soldier who didn't see him coming. The setup couldn't be more perfect.

Timing it perfectly, Nabooru thrust the channel out toward the spirit and shouted an incantation, "Pjuran!" The runes on the channel glowed more brightly for an instant, and then that light shot out to the big ghost. His blue glow wavered, and for an instant he seemed to fill in with more color, to look more like what he must have in life. And in that instant, the hammer connected with the Hylian guard.

The force of it sent the man rocketing off of his feet, spinning in the air limply, head over foot. He hit the wall of the pueblo as though he'd been launched from a catapult, falling to the ground broken. The soldiers who had been near him ducked for cover.

_Yeah!_ Rigo shouted in his head. Nabooru grinned.

As the river of spirits looped around for another pass, Nabooru found another ghost, a Gerudo woman who carried a torch with her and was making for one of the crowds of soldiers pressed against a pueblo entrance on the roof. The sorceress repeated the gesture, shouting the spell "Blazet!" at the spirit. Much as the big man had come to life, so did the Gerudo woman now, and as she lashed her torch out at the group of soldiers, an explosion of blue fire erupted within them, igniting their armor and burning them alive. They scattered from the doorway, most jumping from the roof to the sands below, rolling and trying to put the flames out.

Nabooru, more comfortable with this now, began to work a bit faster, trying hard to make this look like random chaos, imbuing ghosts with power in different places, making it seem as though nowhere was safe. As they took a dive past one of the pueblo gates, Rigo could make out the faces of Gerudo soldiers on the inside, pressed up against the wood. Looking out with wonder and awe at the utter insanity going on outside.

Nabooru brought a swordsman to life. A head rolled. She brought a bomber to life. A boulder was blown to rubble, scattering the men behind it. She empowered a chain-wielding delinquent. A soldier was caught by the neck and dragged up into the night. All of it was absolutely horrific, and as the acts began to build up on each other, the Hylians began to flee, to get back from the walls of the pueblo, ducking their heads and trying to find cover from the storm.

"I'm losing it here, kid," Nabooru wheezed, after a time. "Not much time left."

_What can I do?_ Rigo asked.

"Wanna hit. The big man. Right?" she asked.

Rigo bared his metaphysical teeth _Yeah,_ he said.

"Understand how…the soulbind works? Can you find him?" Nabooru huffed in tired breaths.

_I'll find him,_ Rigo said. _Just hang on, just for a minute._

Nabooru nodded. She pointed her channel at another torchbearer and brought him to life, spilling ghostly fire across the desert floor in an effort to push the Hylians back further. As she did, Rigo again let go and allowed himself to slip out the back of his body. As Nabooru shot off into the night, Rigo as again pulled back into range of the Gauntlets, and the man who wore them.

Tydus was directing the battle from the rear lines. The coward of course wouldn't enter the battlefield himself.

"Sir!" a soldier before him addressed him.

"What the _hell_ is all of that?" Tydus asked the man, gesturing up at the blue light in the distance.

"Sir, the Gerudo are using some kind of magic against us! It…it's like ghosts!"

Tydus scowled. He began issuing the man some curt, direct orders. Though it sounded something like, "Grow a pair and keep fighting," Rigo stopped paying attention. He looked around at Tydus's surroundings, got a sense of where the man was hiding, and then allowed himself to be pulled back into his own body, which was soaring back up into the air for another drop.

_He's in the chasm,_ he told Nabooru. _The path between the two camps. He's giving orders from there._

"Let's pay him a visit," Nabooru said. She raised the channel and the nearest swarm of ghosts formed up before her, dropped back toward the pueblo, and drew her own sword. As Nabooru turned for the chasm, they seemed to mirror her actions and turned exactly as she did, preceding her in her descent.

The small squadron of spirits shot along the pathway, Nabooru guiding them through twists and turns for a few short seconds before they came upon Tydus and his small contingent of rear commanders, lit by torchlight. The look on his face as they approached, Rigo thought, was priceless. His eyes went wide in disbelief and fear. Rigo remembered that Tydus was not a superstitious man. He'd had trouble even believing that the Chalice of Nayru was something real. He may have been the type not to believe in ghosts.

Well, now he was faced with dozens of angry ones.

The Colonel's reflexes were good, and he drew his sword and shield the instant he saw trouble, even as Nabooru gestured toward another ghost. This one was the child, the small girl that Rigo had seen at the front of the pack with the long, dark hair. Nabooru gathered her power and spoke the incantation, "Kanaj," as the girl, again at the front, reached the Hylians.

The young girl held no weapons. Instead, at Nabooru's spell, her long hair shot out every which way, filling the canyon with a network of what looked like spiderweb cracks in the air itself. And, Rigo saw, the end of each strand became tipped with a silver blade, wickedly curved and razor sharp. As she hit the group of soldiers, the separate strands of hair whipped around at lightning speed, filling the chasm with the clinging echoes of steel on steel. The sight of it was fearsome, and though the Hylians' armor deflected most of the glancing attacks, several blades got through, causing lacerations on the faces, necks, and joints of several of the commanders, though if any had hit Tydus, he didn't show it. The big man had kept his shield raised in an effort at further protection, but the strike from the ghost had at least pushed him back, forced him to stumble. His shield had been knocked over to one side, which was good. Because Nabooru wasn't done.

Flying in at full speed, Nabooru twisted Rigo's body in a barrel roll, and plummeted straight at Tydus. She'd hoped that the unfamiliarity of a flying enemy combined with the spin would throw Tydus off guard, but he saw Rigo's solid body coming with enough time to spare. He dropped his shield, grabbed his sword with two hands, and braced himself.

As the two collided with a resounding clang, Nabooru was slowed to a near stop for only an instant. Her drawn sword connected straight on with Tydus's blade, and for that instant the two were face-to-face. Recognition dawned in Tydus's eyes, and the fear that had taken residence there multiplied tenfold, giving birth to new anger and rage. The scowl on his face practically bled murder. At the same time, Rigo could feel that Nabooru had turned his mouth up in an impish smirk. The irreverence of the expression suited him just fine. Of course, he was sure none of this would do anything to improve the impression Tydus had of him, that of him being a dangerous, sorcerous, traitorous freak. But, he was also well beyond caring what the Colonel thought of him. And at the same time, Tydus would have to come to another realization. He had no way of fighting against Rigo or his army in this moment. And he had no way of knowing that Nabooru wouldn't be able to keep this up forever.

As quickly as the encounter came, so it passed. Nabooru's momentum pushed her off of Tydus's side and back up into the night. The Colonel took a slash at Rigo's retreating ankle, but Nabooru's flight speed was too great and the sword fell short. She and her squadron soared back off into the night.

"How'd…we do?" Nabooru asked. She sounded like she was about to pass out.

Rigo wasted no time. He dropped back, fell from his body and returned to Tydus to survey the damage.

Already, there were three men on the ground, trying to prevent blood loss from their wounds. Tydus was standing frozen in place, staring off in the direction Nabooru had flown. The glow from her small party was still visible, disappearing over the lip of the canyon.

"Sir!" one of the men shouted, sounding as though he were repeating himself. "What are your orders? What should we do!?"

Tydus grimaced a while longer before glaring down at the subordinate and, with obvious reluctance, giving the only instruction he could under the circumstances. "Order the retreat. Fall back and regroup at camp."

"Sir!" the soldier said, and ran off toward the battle. In the distance, Rigo could already hear him yelling, "Retreat! Retreat! Fall back to camp!"

Tydus looked back up into the air, evidently trying to come to terms with what he'd just seen. Rigo decided to take advantage of it.

Thinking of the apparition he'd seen in the desert, of everything he knew to be true or even rumored about Ganondorf, he dropped his voice into the lowest, raspiest hiss he could manage, and spoke to Tydus.

"I'm coming for you, Hylian," he said. He wished he could come up with something more original, more menacing, but in the moment it was the best he could do. The effect from Tydus was all he could hope for though. Color drained from the man's face and he whipped around, left then right, looking for the source of the voice, eliciting a few nervous glances from the men nearby.

Rigo, chipper as possible, didn't bother sticking around to see what happened next. He fell back to rejoin Nabooru, and told her that the retreat had been ordered.

"Good," Nabooru said. "Good."

With a gesture of the channel, she began to draw the spirits' attention to herself again, as, from her birds' eye vantage point, she could see the Hylian soldiers pulling back toward the chasm and leaving the pueblo. They never managed to get inside.

Nabooru lowered herself down onto the roof, slowly settling Rigo's body down before one of the entryways. As she did, she came within eyesight of the horde of Gerudo inside, all straining to get a look at what was going on outside. They of course recognized Rigo on sight, and nervous, excited whispers of "Prince Rigo," began rippling through the crowd. As he looked on, they began working to undo the locks on the chiseled and battered gate, so that they could come out and join him.

Nabooru whispered one final incantation to the prisoners' spirits, and the words emanated from her with a whoosh and a gust of wind. When she spoke them, power was expelled from her body and released upward, into the ghosts themselves. The channel erupted in light and splintered down the middle, breaking into small, worthless wooden shards, and the ghosts themselves regained their former expressions of sorrow and apathy. Their hands fell limply to their sides once more, dropping their weapons, which fell away into wisps of smoke and nothingness. All together, they began to drift upward, presumably back toward their sanctuary at the Arbiter's Grounds.

The gates opened and Gerudo began streaming out, tentatively drawing closer to Rigo, trying to get a glimpse of him and come to terms with what he had done. How he had saved them. Nabooru stood tall before them as they did, the shining image of a leader and savior. Rigo thought he could see the white and golden garb of Amili somewhere in the back of the crowd, inside the pueblo, but Nabooru wasn't focused on it, and he had a hard time making her out.

_Ugh,_ Nabooru thought at him silently. _Sorry, kid._

_Sorry?_ Rigo asked, puzzled. _What fo-_

Before he could finish his thought, he felt his physical legs give out. Nabooru, exhausted, collapsed and slipped into unconsciousness, dragging Rigo down into rest with her.


	40. Recuperation

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 40: Reconciliation  
**By, Frank Hunter

When he came to, Rigo found that he was once again in control of his own body. Not that he was afraid in any way that Nabooru would double-cross him now, but the abdication of all living functions, no matter to _who_, comes with a certain sense of helplessness, and he had no choice but to feel grateful upon return of that control.

He felt less grateful about it as soon as he tried to move.

He moved to sit up in bed, and _everything_ inside him protested. His rib cage felt as though it had been battered by Gor Gurdy. His arms trembled as he tried to take some of his weight on them. His head felt like it was being split open with a chisel. Moving, in short, was not an easy task.

"Ugh," Rigo grunted as he gave up and collapsed back onto his cot. Wait, cot?

"Don't try to move," a voice said softly from beside him. With some effort, he turned his head despite the instructions. Pureet sat there on another cot to his left; another Gerudo guard stood at the door. He must have been carried into the pueblo's barracks while he was unconscious.

Rigo closed his eyes. "How long was I out?" he asked.

"The better part of a day," Pureet answered. "The sun is setting."

Rigo groaned again.

"The Stewardess wanted to know as soon as he was awake," the guard at the door said.

"Go inform her," Pureet instructed. "I will wait with him."

The soldier turned and left immediately. The sound of the door grinding open and slamming shut felt like rusty, warped gears turning inside Rigo's brain. He wished he could just crawl into a dark, silent hole and sleep for days.

_Nabooru? _he asked inwardly. _Are you there?_

_G'morning sunshine,_ came the immediate answer. The spirit sounded like she was in better spirits than she ought to be.

_Are you alright?_ he asked her.

_Peachy, _she said. _We've only got one body capable of pain between the two of us. I figured since I did all the heavy lifting, it'd only be fair for you to deal with the hangover. Gotta pull your weight somehow._

_Thanks,_ he mumbled grouchily.

_Any time._

Pureet shifted where she sat, leaning in closer to him. "That was an impressive stunt you pulled last night," she said. Rigo could tell she was making an effort to keep her voice down. In that moment, he loved her for it.

"Yeah," Rigo mumbled. "Something, right?"

"I never taught you to do that," she said.

He sighed. "I've picked up some new tricks since I left, I guess."

"That kind of magical control," Pureet mused. "That takes a lifetime to accomplish. A lifetime much longer and more focused than yours."

Rigo bit his lip. In the heat of the moment, when devising that desperate plan which somehow managed to work (and thanks entirely to Nabooru for that; he was sure he wouldn't have been able to empower the ghosts so effectively if he'd had to do it himself), he hadn't considered that he would have to answer for it. That his family, his _people_ would want to know how he had done what he'd done. Ganondorf had made much of his reputation on the practice of dark sorcery, sorcery from the same school that Nabooru had been forced to study when she had been alive and young. And Rigo's entire right to the throne was based on the premise that the Gerudo could move past Ganondorf and still keep to their most honored traditions. How would that be affected if they all thought that he was following so closely in Ganondorf's footsteps?

He may have to come clean about all of it: Nabooru, the Silver Gauntlets. Everything. And that could even be worse. The idea of a King with a spirit or a voice lodged in his head? One that could take full control of his body, even perform magic? Yeah. That would sit well.

With another earsplitting clack, the door to the room opened and shut again, and Amili stepped in.

"What the hell did you do?" she asked without preamble.

Rigo looked up at her. He couldn't tell if she was angry or just shocked, her expression was so unreadable. But in her confusion, Rigo thought she actually looked kind of funny. He couldn't help it. He burst into a muffled fit of painful giggles and laid his head back down as they ran their course. Amili did not look amused.

"Rigo, what _was_ that?" she asked, coming into the room, stepping up next to Pureet.

"I think that was me picking my side," he said, his giggles subsiding.

"How are you even _capable_ of doing something like that?"

He couldn't get into this with her now. There was too much to explain, too much for her to come to terms with. And too many possible consequences. It would take too long.

"Look, Amili…"

"Basic ectomancy could be achieved," Pureet cut in, "with a few years of dedicated study. Study like that which Prince Rigo was just describing to me before you walked in, Stewardess."

Amili regarded Rigo with an inquisitive expression on her face. He couldn't believe it. Pureet was still helping, still covering for him. Even after everything that had happened the last time, after he had all but _proved_ that he was incapable of making good decisions.

"Amili…" he said, trailing off, fighting to find the right words. "Look, a lot's happened between that night in the Temple and all this. I swear, I'll sit down with you. I'll tell you _everything_ when the time is right. You can know it all. But we don't have _time _now. You need to tell me. What happened after I went down? Did the Hylians retreat?"

She stared at him for another long moment, clearly deciding whether or not she could let something this big go so quickly. Whether she could trust him without answers.

"They're gone," she said, finally. "Out of the valley, out of the desert entirely. Your little stunt did a number on them it. We saw them cross their bridge this morning, and dismantle it behind them. I don't think they're coming back."

Rigo felt a fleeting iota of pride at what he'd accomplished, but couldn't quite hold onto it. Something was wrong with this. The Hylians shouldn't have cut and run. If it hadn't been for Rigo, there would have been a close, bloody conflict here the previous night. One the Hylians may have won. Tydus wouldn't give up so quickly. If he really was afraid of ghosts, wouldn't he just have come back in the daylight?

Rigo was trying to work out what must have been going through the Colonel's mind, when he realized he didn't have to guess.

_Nabooru-_

_He is gone, _her voice confirmed in his mind. _I've been keeping an eye on him while you were out. We scared him pretty good. Him and his men both. They'd already heard rumors the desert was haunted before last night. Now they're downright certain. And, they think that the Gerudo have control over the ghosts. They don't want to come back_

_I guess that's good, _Rigo admitted.

_Not really, _Nabooru said. _See, the Colonel convinced them that this is just proof that the Gerudo are dark and vile and have all sorts evil plans to invade their country and corrupt everything they love. He convinced them that they had better retreat into the heart of Hyrule, and find a power they can use for themselves. A power of 'light' to help them fight the 'darkness.' You see what I'm getting at?_

"Damn," Rigo cursed.

"What?" Amili asked. She hadn't been privy to this private conversation.

Rigo told her. And at his words, Pureet sat up straighter. "They're going for the Fountain."

"Tch," Amili spat. "Let them go. The legends say that without the Chalice, they won't be able to get to the Fountain. They'll be wasting their time."

Rigo choked on his next thought. She still didn't know?

Amili saw the dumbfounded look on Rigo's face and seemed to go through various stages of deliberation and realization before her features hardened and she fixed him with that glare she had, which probably had the power to incinerate small animals on its own.

"You _didn't_," she hissed at him.

"I did what I had to," Rigo said.

"You _stole_ it from me!?" Amili demanded, raising her voice.

"I-"

"I gave it to him," Pureet interrupted again.

Amili looked at her in shock. Pureet didn't bother meeting her gaze. Not having eyes, she didn't need to. Amili's gaze, though, shifted back and forth from Pureet to Rigo. She apparently was having trouble deciding just _who_ she should be angry with.

"You…you betrayed me, Pureet?"

"Do not be dramatic," Pureet chided her. "You pretend as though you haven't known all along where my loyalties lie."

"I am the _Stewardess_ of Gerudo!" Amili insisted.

"You are," Pureet agreed. "But you are also a child, and require guidance. Do you think that there is anything you have accomplished which did not happen with support?"

"_Support!?"_

"You were on the path to make a poor decision. I removed that from your hands."

Amili barked out an incredulous laugh, and pointed at Rigo. "And _he_ did so much better?" She glanced in his direction. "I thought you said once they had the Chalice they'd leave peacefully!"

"Their Colonel ignored the Queen's orders," Rigo said.

"So, exactly what I said would happen last time we talked, huh? And from what you said, he's going to be a continued threat to us. Thanks to your actions, control of the Fountain has fallen to an enemy. And we're stuck here without hope or any prospect of recovering the artifact. Rigo, if it was _anybody_ but you…" She trailed off. She looked back at Pureet. "And all this is _your_ fault."

"So it is," Pureet agreed. "Perhaps you'd like to reprimand me? It is well within your right. You could remove my tongue, Stewardess. So that I may never speak a half-truth again."

Amili stuttered at the grotesque suggestion, but Pureet didn't notice. She just pressed on.

"Or my hands? If you do, I will be unable to steal from you in the future."

"Don't be ridiculous…" Amili started.

"All of that is well within your station as Stewardess. Do you want to exercise that power? I have disobeyed you."

"I'm not _her_!" Amili shouted at Pureet. Rigo winced at the loudness of her voice. but the implication of it was interesting nonetheless. Amili, it seemed, had come to share one of Rigo's deepest burdens. She was as afraid of becoming Sooru as much as he was afraid of becoming Ganondorf. Through all of this, it was very hard to remember that he was still dealing with the girl out of his childhood, the one he'd held in his arms night after night in the desert. Things had changed so much.

"Then you must do as she would not. You must defer to the authority of the King," Pureet said. "It is the entire purpose of your rule."

Amili was fuming, but she tried hard to reel herself back. To keep her tone civil. "He is not the King yet."

"He should be," Pureet said.

"Uhh," Rigo interrupted. "Listen, if the choice is up to me, I would ask that I not be crowned until this whole thing is over." Amili was silent. She looked pensive though, more willing to listen to Rigo knowing he wouldn't be gunning for her crown in the next few minutes.

He went on. "I botched this, I admit that. The decision I made wasn't the best one. It was a mistake, and we now have a situation because of it. But I want to help make things right. Amili, you should stay in control of the Gerudo tribe, at least until all this is done. This is your expedition, and you should see it through. But I want to stand with you. I want to help you in what you want to do. We can't afford to disagree anymore."

"I want to do what's right for the Gerudo," Amili said, sounding miserable. "That's all I've ever wanted."

"That's all _any_ of us want, Amili," Rigo told her sincerely. "We can work together to make it happen.

"And how am I supposed trust you now?" Amili asked, grudgingly. "Either of you?"

Pureet just sat back, refusing to answer a question Rigo guessed she thought was pointless. But he had an answer.

"Because I know where the Fountain of Nayru is," he said. "And I can take you there."

Amili's eyes shot up to him again in surprise. Pureet cocked her head at the revelation.

_I _do_ know where the Fountain is. Right? _Rigo asked Nabooru silently.

_Do you have any idea how screwed you'd be without me?_ Nabooru snarked back at him. He took that as a yes.

"Why would you show us the way now?" Amili asked in disbelief.

"Because it's the best option left to us," Rigo said. "The Hylian commander, his name's Tydus. He's gone completely off the deep end. He thinks that if he claims the Fountain, he'll be able to kill us and openly challenge his Queen. "

Rigo tried again to sit up and this time managed it with some effort. He propped himself against the wall. "Given the choice, I'd still say it's best that no one raises the Fountain. But now it looks like _someone's_ gonna do it anyway. If that's the case, we _need_ to make sure it's us."

"That's all well and good, but they have almost a full day's head start," Amili said.

"They're armored, and carrying supplies," Rigo answered. "We can move faster if we travel light and leave our non-essentials here. And, I don't think Tydus knows exactly how to use the Chalice. We have a chance to head him off at the Fountain _if_ we move quickly."

He stared into his old friend's eyes and pleaded with her. "Amili, I don't think either of us meant for any harm, but we've started something here, something that's spiraling out of control. _We_ need to cooperate, and get things back in hand. We can stop Tydus. We can take the Fountain and defend ourselves, and rebuild the Gerudo with its power. It's the only option left to us."

Rigo bared his teeth. He could see that Amili was being swayed, that she understood what needed to be done.

"Let's finish this, together," he said to her.


	41. The Gathering Storm

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 41: The Gathering Storm  
**By, Frank Hunter

"My sisters," Amili's voice poured out into the canyon. She stood again on the roof of the pueblo, with the gathered army of Gerudo formed up on the desert floor below her. As soon as Rigo was capable of getting to his feet, she had called for an assembly to brief her soldiers and prepare to move out. They would waste no time in getting onto Tydus's heels.

Now, Amili, Rigo, and Pureet stood at the top looking down over a sea of expectant faces. The battle had not shaken the Gerudos' resolve in the slightest. If anything, in light of Rigo's incredible feat, they only believed all the more that the Sand Goddess was on their side.

"Two days ago," Amili projected, "we were confronted by an enemy who attacked us with no intention of taking prisoners or showing mercy. This enemy calls for our extinction. He would cast us down. He would say we are inferior. Is this this _man_ correct?"

The canyon boomed with the collective answer of, "NO, STEWARDESS!"

"He is _not_," Amili said. "And we have shown him otherwise. As we did, two pivotal events played out before our very eyes. First, our sovereign Prince Rigo was returned to us."

Amili could not stop the cheer that rose up from the crowd as she gestured to Rigo at her side. She did not even try. Rigo looked down over the people who at that moment cheered for him. They were so moved, some to tears at the very sight of him. It was more than he could have expected.

When the noise died down somewhat, Amili continued onward.

"He was returned to us on the wings of salvation, for it was him and him alone who chased the enemy away from here, and who struck fear of the Gerudo into their hearts. And Prince Rigo stands with us now."

There was another brief cheer which, this time, faded on its own as Amili waited to go from the good news to the bad news.

"Unfortunately, while we saw conquest outside of these walls, something devious occurred inside. An agent of the enemy found a way to infiltrate the Gerudo pueblo. This…_person_ took something from us. The very object that drives us. During the battle, the Chalice of Nayru was stolen from us."

Murmuring this time. Pureet had suggested that the Gerudo deserved to be told something, but whatever that something was, it could not be the truth. To keep them inspired Rigo could not be vilified. Leadership would need to appear united.

"This is an insult and an injustice, my sisters. And it is something we will not stand for! Prince Rigo has come back to us, not only with our wellbeing in his heart, but with our way forward in hand. The Prince comes to us with the location of the Fountain of Nayru itself!"

There was a stream of chatter then, one neither Amili nor Rigo could hope to dispel. Amili chose just to press onward into it. "With our Prince's guidance, we will pursue our tormentors into _Hyrule _itself. We will pursue them to the gate of the Sacred Realm, and we will _pry them from it_. We will retrieve the Chalice that was delivered to us, and use it to vanquish this enemy. In the name of the Gerudo and the Sand Goddess who watches over us, we will not waver. We will not fail. We will rebuild our tribe, and we will be victorious!"

More cheering, though Rigo thought it might have sounded a little more tentative. Amili went on from there to discuss the logistics of marching the army out of the desert and into enemy territory, but at that point Rigo zoned out. He had spent the earlier part of the morning talking to Nabooru, and was focused instead on the information she'd given him back in the barracks. The details about the Fountain.

_Listen,_ Nabooru had said to him, _and listen carefully. The Fountain of Nayru lies just within the goddess' Sacred Realm, to which there has only ever been a single entrance. In my time, that entrance was protected by the Hylian Royal Family, and remained a closely guarded secret kept by them alone. It was hidden in a building within Castle Town, a building many of the locals believed to be condemned but in fact was the home of such power they could never imagine. This building was called the Temple of Time._

_It was _in _Castle Town, itself? _Rigo asked, surprised.

_It was the _reason_ Castle Town was built where it was, _Nabooru answered, factually. _So that the castle could be close by, so that the guardian princess could always get there quickly and without fail. There was a barricade inside the Temple known as the Door of Time, which could only be opened under very specific circumstances. On the other side, housed on its pedestal where no one would ever stumble upon it, was the Master Sword. You've heard of this sword._

_The Hero's weapon, _Rigo clarified.

_Yes, forever and always. The 'Blade of Evil's Bane' it was called, and whenever the Hero is summoned to protect Hyrule, he is drawn to this sword. With it, he is able to cast down any threat, no matter how large. But, those are under only those specific circumstances, when the Hero is alive and active in Hyrule. When the sword is at rest inside the Temple of Time though, it serves another purpose. There, it is the final lock barring the door into the Sacred Realm. While it is in place, the door cannot be opened._

_So you need the Master Sword to open the way? _Rigo asked.

_Not exactly,_ Nabooru said. _It needs to be _removed_ from the Pedestal of Time before the gateway may be opened. This can only be done if an individual with a good and pure heart comes upon the sword and willingly pulls it from its place of resting. That's the reason I think the Colonel will not be able to breach the Sacred Realm. His motives aren't pure. He won't be able to make the Master Sword budge if he's driven by hate._

_But you're not sure about that._

_No,_ Nabooru admitted. _This magical stuff is iffy at best, it's always hard to predict exactly what effect some unknown factor will have on it. I wouldn't trust that the way will stay barred to him, particularly if he has people loyal to the Royal Family along with him. He may eventually be able to get through._

_Okay,_ Rigo said, thinking. _So how do _we_ remove the sword if it comes to it? Who can pull it?_

Nabooru scoffed. _I'd hope you could figure that one out, Deku sprout._

_What? _Rigo asked, genuinely confused. _Who, _me_?!_

_Well done. In record time, no less._

_You've gotta be kidding, Nabooru. There's no way I could-_

_Why not?_ the spirit asked him. _Think about it, kid. You first came to Hyrule with the purpose of helping our people to grow and heal from their troubled past. You have done your utmost to mediate a dispute between them and the Hylians, and to do so in a way that would be as peaceful as possible. And, now that all that's failed, you are driving a dangerous mission to stop a man who would threaten both nations with war and tyranny. Rigo, I ask you. If you're not worthy to wield the Master Sword, than who?_

Rigo shrugged fruitlessly. _But I'm not _him_. I'm not the Hero._

_That doesn't matter,_ she said. _You're the closest thing we've got right now. And I think the magic around the sword will recognize that._

The idea was too much. Rigo remembered the pictures he'd seen in Zelda's books, of the Hero charging into battle with the glowing blade in his hand, ready to smite evil and save the land. He tried to picture himself in place of the green-clad figure, but he couldn't. The sword wasn't his. That wasn't his place. He was just who he was, and although destiny promised him big things, he had a lingering hope that they would never be quite _that_ big. Though he didn't bother telling Nabooru any of this. it wouldn't matter to her, or change the situation at hand.

_Let's assume I _can_ pull it, then,_ Rigo said. _What happens then?_

_Then, you need to place one of the Relics of Light onto the pedestal in its place._

_Relics of Light?_ Rigo asked. He'd never heard of these.

_There are a handful of sacred objects enchanted with the power to open the gateway and allow entry to the Sacred Realm for the purpose defined by the relic used. The Master Sword itself, for example, is one such Relic. Using the sword to open the gateway would allow the bearer to proceed deeper into the Temple of Time on the other side. If the traveller knew where to go, he would even be able to leave the temple in that other world and see the Realm of Light for himself._

_I think we've got enough on our plate for today, _Rigo said. _I'm guessing the Chalice is another Relic?_

_Yes. Placing the Chalice on the Pedestal would also open the gateway. On the other side, it would result in the Fountain being raised, up out of its resting place. Through the Fountain will flow the Waters of Nayru, and they will be accessible there for the first time since they were hidden away._

_Do you know what would happen if a mortal drank the Waters?_ Rigo asked her.

_Not a clue, like I told you before _Nabooru answered. _It's never been done as far as I know. They're said to be powerful, but no one knows just how true that is. I guess we'll see though._

_Yeah, _Rigo said. He was still having doubts about this course of action, though. _Nabooru. Am I doing the right thing, here?_

_It's a hard question, kid, _the spirit told him. _Like you've said yourself though, if someone is going to raise the Fountain, it might as well be you. I think you're most likely to treat the Waters with the respect they deserve. And I don't think you'll be able to back out of this now. Your girlfriend isn't going to let you just abandon the Fountain. As long as you stay on good terms with her, get yourself crowned, then you'll have final say over how it's used. I think that's the best you can hope for._

The best he could hope for. Rigo wished he could do better than that. His inability to mend the gap between himself and Amili was an x-factor here, something he hadn't planned on. If only she could _understand _him, _trust_ him, then maybe she would believe him that the Waters should be left alone, and that Zelda should be allowed to keep the Chalice and protect it. But among the Gerudo, to suggest that they should put their faith in a _Hylian_ is sworn blasphemy. Amili, and by extension, her army, would not be willing to turn the Fountain over to anyone that wasn't Gerudo, and he would only serve to turn them against him if he suggested it to them. He'd have to play nice, and look after it himself.

_Alright,_ he said to Nabooru, prepared to ask her the ringer. _So how are we going to assault Castle Town with an army of less than five hundred and no heavy munitions?_

_It sounds impossible, doesn't it?_ Nabooru said. _Good thing you don't have to._

Rigo cocked an eyebrow. _What do you mean? You said the Temple of Time-_

_The Temple of Time _was_ in Castle Town. Past tense. But, when Ganondorf invaded and took the Triforce for himself, he exposed the Temple of Time as the sacred place it really was. When he took over, the first thing he did was drive the citizens of Hyrule out of Castle Town, to make sure that no nosy locals could go poking around and cause problems there. When he was beaten though, and the Royal Family rebuilt the town, they were stuck with the problem of what to do about the Temple. The Master Sword had been returned and the Door of Time closed, but the Temple remained a place of fascination. And the Zelda of the time found it impossible to keep the place safe when everyone seemed to know its secret. So she called on the Sages to help._

_What did you do?_ Rigo asked.

_Well, we briefly contemplated creating another place of power, _Nabooru said, _A second entrance elsewhere, and just destroying the Temple. But that would have been dangerous, and more difficult than it was worth. Eventually, we settled on just encapsulating the Temple and moving it, in its entirety, elsewhere._

_You moved the whole building?_ Rigo marveled.

_Magic, kid,_ Nabooru said. _It's easier than it sounds. The idea was, if we couldn't have it in a place where the princess could get to it easily, we would set it in a place where _no one_ could get to it easily. Far to the south of Hyrule Castle was a forest that was known colloquially at the time as the 'Lost Woods.' It was a place that no one was capable of navigating unless they already knew where they were going. Blind attempts to wander the Woods either turn you completely around, or get you lost forever. We relocated the Temple of Time deep inside._

_So why would Tydus even be able to find it in there? _Rigo asked.

_He shouldn't be able to,_ Nabooru said. _It's another problem he'll have to deal with, another delay that will slow him. Another reason I think he may not be able to reach the Fountain._

_But you're still not sure,_ Rigo guessed.

_No, _Nabooru agreed. _I'm not._

When he was done learning what he needed from Nabooru, he went to join Amili in her chambers. With the spirit's guidance, he was able to draw the correct routes on her maps, and show her the simplest paths down into Hyrule, through the central fields, and into the area to the south, now marked as the "Faron Woods." The old Lost Woods, Nabooru said, were tucked deep within.

All that done, it was only a matter of rallying the troops and getting on their way. Time was of the essence here, and there was none of it to waste. And so, when she had finished their briefing, the units formed up, and the Gerudo army marched for Hyrule, and the Fountain of Nayru.


	42. The Lost Woods

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 42: The Lost Woods  
**By, Frank Hunter

The Gerudo made their way into the Kingdom of Hyrule unimpeded and unchallenged, but not unnoticed. The rope ladders the Hylians had abandoned on the sides of their pueblo were reinforced, lengthened with all the additional rope the Gerudo could spare. In the end, both of them were long enough to climb down the cliff face to Lake Hylia, and five hundred soldiers came down like desert spiders, congregating on the banks.

The canon man, Fyer, was the first to see them, and he didn't greet them. At the sight of the Gerudo, the man was packed up and inside his shack with his solid door locked tight. The army marched past, having no business with him. They cleared the lake and made their way into the field, and as per the planned course, Rigo turned them to the south. Death Mountain stood in the distance, and the Castle Town just to their left as they turned. A funny-looking, scrawny postman in a red fez hat first scurried toward them, and then back away toward the Town. Rigo guessed it wouldn't be long before the drawbridges were pulled up in preparation for the attack that they would now be expecting. He could only wonder what the Queen would think about it all.

They spent one short night at the edge of the tree line, but wasted no time moving into the woods the following morning. There had still been no sign of Tydus, and Rigo was beginning to fear the worst: that he'd already made it to the Sacred Realm. But no, he reasoned. No, that couldn't be the case, or Nabooru would know. She would warn him if it was all already over.

The spirit was able to provide detailed instructions through Faron Woods, and as Rigo led the party along her path, the trees became thicker and thicker and the forest more and more ominous. At its deepest, the sun barely came down through the branches, and the Gerudo found themselves marching through a thick, purple-tinged fog that made everything claustrophobic, and made it difficult to breathe. They held themselves together though, driven by purpose and ambition and by their long-lost Prince, and eventually made it through.

When they reached the point that Nabooru deemed the entry to the Lost Woods proper, Rigo's heart sank. Before him, there would have been rubble and a thick tree line barring entry. According to Nabooru, the only possible entrance should have been on a cliff face, down below, very dangerous. But here, the trees had been blown apart by blasting powder. They were splintered and crooked, and there was an opening in the wreckage three men wide leading into the darkest depths of the woods.

"They've been here," Amili said.

Rigo didn't bother answering. "We don't have time to worry about it."

With a brief rest to steel their nerves, the Gerudo prepared and then pushed headlong into the Lost Woods.

"Everyone stay together," Rigo instructed, taking his cues from Nabooru. "Hold onto someone else, or at least onto their pack. Stay connected, and we stay together."

It was easier said than done. Marching in formation was not possible in the thicket, and the individual soldiers had no choice but to weave around trees and bushes, and separate from others from time to time. _Anyone who wanders off on their own is finished, _Nabooru had told him, but Rigo chose not to relay that particular detail on to them. It wasn't long before the darkness and haunted air of the place began to get the better of them. The Gerudo gradually became jumpy. Simple things, owls hooting and clinging spider webs, were getting to them. And to top it off, Nabooru was not as sure of the route as she'd said she would be.

_It's like the trees have shifted over the years,_ the spirit told him.

_They grow,_ Rigo said back to her, getting annoyed. _It's what trees do._

_I'm aware of that, _Nabooru answered, testily. _But it's not just growth. Their positions have moved. The forest is literally laid out differently. That and there are more of them now. Go left ahead._

_Are you sure? _Rigo inquired.

_No,_ Nabooru said.

Amili was picking up on the indecision and confusion. "Is everything alright?" she asked him, as they stepped over a pile of rocks and into a small clearing.

"Yeah, dandy," Rigo said. He was holding her hand, and she clenched him tightly despite herself. "It's this way. I think."

"You _think_?" she said.

"Yeah, I'm doing my best over here," he looked over his shoulder at her. "This isn't exactly a walk in the park." As he made to turn back, he stopped. Something was wrong. He turned again. Amili was there, right where she should be, glancing over him with nervous eyes. But behind her?

"Where's Pureet?" Rigo asked her.

Amili whipped around to glance back, where she thought the old attendant was walking right behind her, and saw nothing. Further back, the army was still moving along with them, but Pureet was gone.

Rigo clenched his teeth. "Can we regroup and get a head count?"

"Form up!" Amili shouted back at her army. "Squad leaders, head count!"

It took a matter of minutes to do it, but even as they pulled back together Rigo could tell that the group was smaller than it should have been. The count put it at less than half. Several squad leaders were missing.

"Damn," Rigo swore.

"We should go back and find them," Amili said, sensibly.

_Don't listen to her,_ Nabooru advised. _More will get lost in the search, and you'll be no closer to your destination._

_You have no idea if we're any closer to our destination than we were when we got here, _Rigo said. But he did agree. At this point, changing direction might be the most dangerous thing they could possibly do.

"Maybe Pureet and the rest of them are together," Rigo said, though he didn't believe it. "Maybe they'll be able to catch up with us ahead. But we can't do anything else for them now."

Amili lowered her voice to a level she was sure the soldiers apart from the two of them wouldn't be able to hear. "You want to abandon half of our army to these woods and just move on?"

"Not when you put it like that, but what do you wanna do instead? We turn back, we just increase the chances of more people getting lost."

"If we get to the end of this maze at half strength, we're just gonna get slaughtered by the Hylians there," Amili said. "Assuming they're not lost in here too."

_They're not,_ Nabooru said, and Rigo knew she was telling the truth. They had come too far to get out of this without a fight. Tydus would be at the end. He would be waiting.

He resisted asking Nabooru for any more details, knowing that he had enough on his mind without worrying about Tydus just yet. Instead, he devised a plan.

"Light a torch," he said to Amili. "Stick it in right here. We split the army up into squads, they can go as far as possible as long as they can still see the torchlight. Before they pull out of range, they turn back. We can search, but never get too far from each other, and regroup back here. Maybe we'll find some of the others around here without losing anyone else."

Amili nodded. It was as good a plan as any. She raised her voice and gave the order to the remainder of the troops and divided them up into a dozen different groups that made off in different directions. It was decided that the Stewardess would remain with the torch and keep her own small contingent, in case she needed to go off on her own.

"I'll go with one of the groups," Rigo said. "It shouldn't look like we're both afraid to join the search."

"You make sure to turn back before you lose the light," Amili told him. There was worry on her face. Rigo noted it. It brought a spark back to him, a glimmer of their old relationship, his old mischievousness.

"Hey," he said. "It's me."

Amili rolled her eyes while one of her guard set fire to a small torch and wedged it into the ground. Rigo joined a squad, and they made off a few paces into the wilderness. The squad leader separated the group into a wider area, reiterating the order to march out and keep an eye on the torchlight.

Rigo started out between two Gerudo soldiers, almost shoulder to shoulder. But, as they all moved forward calling out for their missing companions, they were forced apart by the concentration of trees and brush. The Woods, almost in a supernatural sense, had a way of separating the individuals from their parties. It wasn't more than a few minutes before Rigo, still able to hear the echoing calls of the search party, could no longer _see_ any of them. Still, the orange light burned behind him in the mist, and he felt he was comfortable to go a little further.

By the time he reached the end of his comfort zone though, he still had not found anyone at all, and there were only the faintest whispers of cries around him. He bit his cheek and decided it was time to call off his search, and hope that any of the others had more luck. He turned around and, guided by the dim orange glow in the distance, he made for the location of Amili.

He walked and walked, climbing over broken branches and stumps and rocks. He walked more, walked until he realized he had been walking for too much time, far more than made logical sense. And still, the orange light was in the distance, still glowing faintly from behind a tree. He'd made no progress toward it at all, as though someone were continually and deliberately pulling it from his reach.

He picked up his pace to a trot now, knowing it was dangerous, that he could fall and possibly hurt himself doing so, but not caring. The light was the only landmark left, and if he was too turned around now to make it back, then he knew he was lost too.

With the extra speed, he seemed now to be gaining on the torch. He stumbled only once, smacking his shin against a shattered tree stump, but he ignored the pain and carried on at the light became brighter and brighter. His breathing came faster and faster, but he could see the glimmer of light from behind the branches of the farthest trunks, knew that he was almost there. Hoped that this was just some twisted, warped vision the forest had given him, and that would dissipate when he again found Amili.

At last he weaved around the final tree and, upon coming into sight of the firelight, panicked when it was suddenly and instantly extinguished before him.

"Ah!" he cried out, unable to help himself. He whirled around, looking desperately for something, anything he might recognize, but there was nothing, no sound, no Gerudo, no way for him to navigate.

As Rigo struggled to find his bearings, forced himself to focus, he noticed, absently at first, that the orange glow was coming back. The trees around him were lighting up, brighter and brighter by the second. He looked around and around and finally froze, a feeling of dread settling in his heart as he finally realized that he was being toyed with.

It was another moment before he found it, the source of the light. And it wasn't a torch. It was a lantern, floating over his head, spinning in the air arbitrarily, as though dangling from some thin, invisible string.

From nowhere, and yet everywhere at once, a high, rattling voice began to speak to him. It sounded young, like the voice of a child, but no child in the living world could have produced the twiggy, crackling sounds that came behind it. Its tone was melodic, almost singsong, as though it were reciting a nursery rhyme it had heard all its life a single way, and had no choice but to sing it back mimicked, in that exact style.

"_A pretty young florist,  
__Drank tea in the forest,  
__And spilled sugar all over her blouse."_

As the voice spoke to him Rigo took a few tentative steps back, away from the floating lantern, and drew his sword. Whatever this was, he'd likely have to face it head on, but he didn't want to be directly under it when it got to his point. The eeriness of its song made him certain beyond doubt that this thing was dangerous. But it didn't pop out. All it did was continue the rhyme.

"_The powder was sweet,  
__And delicious to eat,  
__And that's when the hornets came out."_

"Show yourself!" Rigo called out to it.

"_Are you afraid of hornets?" _the voice asked from the dark in a genuinely inquisitive manner. _"He's big, isn't he? They'd sting him lots of times, hundreds of times before he fell down. Do you think he'd get up?"_

Rigo growled, unsure how to answer, but he watched and waited and still nothing happened. The thing seemed to just amuse itself. It erupted in a fit of high-pitched cackling that made Rigo's hair stand on edge.

_Ugh,_ Nabooru sighed, and Rigo almost jumped out of his skin. He'd forgotten about the spirit.

_Nabooru? Do you know what this thing is? _he asked.

_Yeah,_ she said. _It's a forest imp, a troublemaker. They live just to harass people. They're called Skull Kids._

"Skull Kid?" Rigo asked out loud, tasting the words.

"_You shouldn't wander into the Woods," _the Skull Kid said back to him. _"Anyone who wanders into the Woods gets lost. Anyone who gets lost changes."_

It laughed again, and as it did Rigo squinted up into the trees. High up in the branches, beyond the light of the lamp, he thought he could almost see something there, some slight form dangling by its limbs, scraggy as a scarecrow, and just as ugly.

"_What do you think he'll change into?"_ it asked again. _"A Stalfos?! Ooh, ooh! Can we watch?! Can we?!"_

A final round of laughter, and the lantern went out again, leaving Rigo alone in the fog with the dwindling echoes of the creature ringing out around him.


	43. The Skull Kid's Games

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 43: The Skull Kid's Games  
**By, Frank Hunter

It was out of sight, but not even close to out of mind. Rigo knew from its tone, from what it said, that it was still close by. Still watching. And there was nowhere else to go, nothing else to find. If he could goad the creature out, maybe he could take it down, coerce it into leading him out of here. Or back to Amili. He had to try.

_What do I need to know about this thing?_ he asked Nabooru.

_It's only a child,_ Nabooru answered. _Though it may be much _older_ than it looks, mentally Skull Kids never age. They're playful and reckless, and not fully aware of the consequences of their actions. Treat it carefully._

_Can it help me out of here?_

_Only if it trusts you._

The Skull Kid, wherever it was, just went on singing and chanting, seemingly indifferent to Rigo's concern. _"Lost little raven, high up in the sky," _it went on. _"Has nowhere to land as the world spins by."_

Rigo backed out of the clearing, no longer so concerned about becoming lost. He already obviously was, and apparently there were consequences if he didn't find his way soon. But an idea came to him, and he opened his mouth as he kept his eyes on the trees.

"But bold as it is, downward it dives," he added onto the Skull Kid's line.

The Skull Kid giggled loudly and finished. _"And beak first to the ground, it crashes and dies." _The little imp laughed uncontrollably as though it had just come up with the funniest line ever conceived and did not stop for some time. Rigo wondered if this was the kind of kid that would pull the wings off a beetle given the chance. The kind of kid that is violent and cruel for cruelty's own sake. He figured yes. Nabooru had already said, it does not understand cause and consequence. Why would it sympathize with pain?

He'd have to trade it something it _did_ enjoy, though. If he wanted to enlist its help.

"So," he ventured. "You like stories, huh?"

"Mmmmm hmmmmm," the creature drawled out. Rigo thought he could see the slightest flicker of the orange lantern light up in the branches in front of him. He kept slowly backing off, but as he did, the flicker went out and simply reignited closer to him.

"Do you know a lot of them?"

"_Tumu tells me. Stories. Riddles. I listen."_

"Who?" Rigo stammered. "Who's Tumu?"

"_My friend,"_ the Skull Kid said. As he did, the lantern blazed into existence mere feet from Rigo's eyes, and he shielded them from the glare. When he dared look again, the Skull Kid was hanging upside down in front of him, holding the lantern out to Rigo, as if showing him something. _"See?"_ it asked, shaking the lantern slightly.

Rigo looked, but could see nothing in the lamp besides some obviously enchanted firelight.

"_Tumu's my deku fairy,"_ the Skull Kid said. _"She came to me, cause she was tired of those silly little forest children. She came to me for fun."_ It regarded the lantern and its expression seemed to turn cross._ "But you haven't told me any new stories in a long time!"_

Rigo examined the lantern again, more closely now, but still saw nothing. _There's no fairy in there,_ he said to Nabooru.

_Fairy's probably long gone,_ she said. _If there ever was one in the first place. This creature seems a little bit lost itself…_

"Well," Rigo said, speaking to the lantern. "It's a pleasure to meet you Tumu."

"_Ooh!"_ the Skull Kid exclaimed. _"He's polite! He's nice! I like him, do you? He's not like the other one. Not like him at all."_

"The other one?" Rigo ventured.

"_Lot of people getting lost today. Lot of people in the Woods."_

"This other one…was he wearing, like, metal clothing? And he had a scar right here?" Rigo pointed to his cheek.

The Skull Kid nodded vigorously. _"Yes!"_ he hissed. _"Ugly man. He promised us. He promised, and then he didn't play."_

"Uhh," Rigo wondered. "Promised what, exactly?"

The creature flipped itself right side up and dropped to the ground in front of Rigo. At full height, it would probably come up to his belly, but he didn't know because it sloped and fidgeted and did not stand up straight.

"_I didn't want to, it was Tumu that said we need to be nicer, we need to trust people," _it said, getting defensive. _"Tumu said listen to him, so we did. We helped him, and he said if we helped he would play with us, and so we helped. But then it was time to play our game, and instead he tried to catch us and hurt us. He tried to break Tumu."_

The creature glared up at Rigo. It was close enough now that he could probably reach out and grab it, but he was starting to get the feeling such a thing would do no good.

"So you…helped him get through the Woods?" Rigo asked.

"_Yes," _the Skull Kid answered. _"Mistake. BIG mistake. Won't make it again. Not this time."_

Rigo swallowed. Tydus had already burned this bridge behind him. He probably assumed that once he had the Fountain's power, he wouldn't have trouble with the Woods anymore.

"I need to go after him," Rigo said. "It's very _important_ that my friends and I go after him."

"_Tch,"_ the Skull Kid dismissed. It turned around and started ambling away. _"Anyone who wanders into the Woods gets lost," _it said again. _"Not smart."_

"Wait!" Rigo called after it. "What if I give you something for your help? I can tell you a story," he said. "A new story."

It gave the creature pause. _"New story?"_ it asked.

"Yeah," Rigo said. "One you've never heard. I can trade you a story for passage through the Woods."

The Skull Kid turned and looked him over skeptically. _"Passage in the Woods should be paid in riddles," _it said to him. _"Answer three of Tumu's questions, I can let you through. Miss one, I let you change."_

"That's the price for just me though, yeah?" Rigo asked.

The Skull Kid nodded sullenly.

"If I tell you a story too, then you help all of us. My friends and me. You show us all where you took him. The other one."

It squinted at him. _"You play…_two_ games?" _

"Yeah," Rigo said. "If you'll help us out of here, yeah. I'll play two."

The Skull Kid still didn't look convinced. It held its lantern up, looked at it, and seemed to listen to something Rigo couldn't hear, before it looked slyly back at him and spoke.

"_I lap at your heels, eat all but the sky. Feed me, I live. Give me drink, and I die,"_ it said to him. _"What am I?"_

The suddenness of the riddle took Rigo aback. He looked around, found a fallen tree off to his side and went and sat down, and sheathed his sword to buy him some time. The Skull Kid just regarded him as he moved around.

_Do you know the answer?_ he asked Nabooru.

The spirit scoffed. _Honestly kid, it's right there next to him. He looked at it when he came up with the line. You ought to be a little sharper than that by now._

Rigo looked, but still saw nothing. There was nothing beside the creature but the lantern it held, glowing brightly in the dim shade of the forest.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, suddenly getting it. "Fire. It's fire."

The expression the Skull Kid wore changed instantly. It fell backward, erupting in a fit of giggles, clearly content that Rigo was able to prove a challenge, and not just roll over and fail. When it was done laughing and flailing in its dramatic way, it set the lantern down beside it and sat up. _"He's clever," _it said to the lantern. _"He riddles."_

The Skull Kid turned to regard Rigo, looking up at him. _"You tell your story. Tell, and we listen."_

"Okay," Rigo said. "But, the other riddles…"

"_I'll ask," _the Skull Kid cut him off, dismissing the idea. _"Want story first."_

"Okay," Rigo said again. He dredged through his mind, trying to pull up the most interesting stories he knew, all that he'd learned.

"Once upon a time," he started. "There were three goddesses…"

"_Din, Farore, and Nayru," _the Skull Kid interrupted. _"Left the Golden Triangles. Lots of power. Boooooring. I know that one."_

Rigo sighed, but accepted this. It was, after all, a very well-known myth. He thought back to the nights he'd spent in Hyrule Castle, and tried again.

"In ancient times, the land of Hyrule was washed away by a great flood that left nothing in the world but a scattering of small islands…"

"_Hero of the Winds, saved the world. C'mon, you're not even trying! Everyone knows the stories about the Hero!"_

Rigo gritted his teeth. Fine, so the imp knew quite a bit about Hylian lore. He could go back further.

"Before life ever existed, there was nothing but dust. But a new wind blew from the west, blew from the breath of the Sand Goddess as she sculpted life…"

"_From the Desert of Time,"_ the Skull Kid cut in again. _"Chosen people, whatever. Ugh, I thought you had a _new_ story!?"_

That one caught Rigo up. How could this creature possibly know the legends of the Gerudo? How old would it have to be to have ever _spoken _to one of his people? _Where_ would it have heard such a story?

"_Do you have one or not?" _it pressed him.

Rigo shook his head quickly and tried to come up with something. If it knew the Gerudo legends, Rigo wasn't sure he would be able to come up with something that it hadn't heard before. Obviously this creature had listened to and told more stories in its long life than he had. But maybe something recent, something from out of its reach, would work.

"So, you know about the chosen people?" Rigo checked with it.

"_The Gerudo from the desert, duh," _it said, irreverently.

"Well once upon a time, among the Gerudo people, there was a woman. She was not an exceptional woman. She was a tailor by trade, and made clothing for the tribe, but she was a good woman. Her name was Denali."

The Skull Kid propped its head up in his hands, but did not interrupt. Rigo was reassured, but realistically, there was no way the creature could possibly have heard _this_ story before.

"Denali, like many of the Gerudo women, took a fancy to a man in the village nearby. If you know the legends, then you know that all Gerudo born are female, except for one man, every one hundred years, who becomes their King."

The Skull Kid nodded, but said nothing.

"Since there are no Gerudo men, the Gerudo have to bond with other men nearby, in order to keep the tribe going. So it is normal, even acceptable for woman to go down to the village and take mates. They attract males, seduce them, and then bring the children back to the village to be raised as Gerudo."

"_They use them,"_ the Skull Kid said, a puckish smirk spreading across its face as though it enjoyed the idea.

"Yes," Rigo admitted. It was fairly dirty when put this way, but without going into the details of Gerudo religion, customs, and traditions, this was the simplest way to describe it.

"Any sort of association beyond the necessary is strictly forbidden. And that's not just by the Gerudo. In the town, the leaders know that Gerudo don't have a vested interest in them, and so marriages, even _relationships_ between the two races are looked down on. Any sort of mingling that goes on, goes on secretly and quietly. And that's where Denali ran into trouble.

"Denali fell in love with a man, and gave her heart to him. And though he eventually gave her a child in return, she refused to cut him off or abandon him as she was supposed to. Her mother and the Gerudo midwives insisted that she keep away from him, that she stay with them as her pregnancy progressed, but whenever the opportunity came, she'd sneak out of her home and back to the town to be with the man she loved. And it was during these travels that the idea came to her about leaving the Gerudo and running off with him, to raise the child together, away from all of it. When she shared the idea with him, he at first didn't want to, but eventually he came around because he did love her too and he wanted her to be happy."

"_Love makes people do funny things,"_ the Skull Kid said.

"I guess it does," Rigo answered. "It's exactly because they were making plans to escape that Denali found herself with this man the night she went into labor. He brought in a nurse to help deliver her child. And the birth happened right there, as easily as it could possibly happen, but when it was done there was a different kind of problem. To Denali's great surprise, the baby was a boy."

The Skull Kid's eyes widened. _"The _King!?_"_

Rigo nodded. "Yes," he said. He had the creature's attention now. That was good. It meant he'd want to hear to the end of the story.

"I want the second riddle," Rigo said to it.

"_No!" _the Skull Kid cried, as though it were in pain. _"No, no, no! You tell the story! You tell the story, and then we play the other game!"_

"I want the second riddle now," Rigo insisted, pressing his advantage. If the Skull Kid wanted to get to the end, he wouldn't throw him a riddle that was too difficult, and risk making Rigo stop. "I'll do the third at the end, but I want the second one now."

The Skull Kid groaned and looked at its lantern as it picked the thing up. It rattled the lantern quickly from side to side, and then cast it back to the ground. _"Slight of build and green of skin. My sharp, slim blade will cut the wind," _it said.

Rigo smiled. He had guessed right. Green blade, cutting the wind. This was an easy one. He was surrounded by it. "Grass," he said.

"_Yes,"_ the Skull Kid replied impatiently. _"Good. Got it. Now tell more!"_

Rigo obliged. "Obviously, the boy changed things. Denali wasn't just taking her child and running off now, she was taking the future King of the Gerudo, and that could be very bad. She stayed with the man for several days while she recovered from the birth and thought about what it all meant. But at the end of it all, her feelings weren't one of the things that got changed. When she was ready to travel, she still wanted to go. And she didn't tell the man about the significance of it being a boy. She thought it would be better for him not to know."

"_They ran away?"_ the creature asked.

"They were packed and ready to go. On the night that they were supposed to leave, they ran into trouble. See, the nurse who delivered the boy knew that something was strange about a Gerudo giving birth in town. And though she was sworn to secrecy about it, still she told someone. And that someone told someone else. And it went on, the rumor spreading like wildfire until it made its way back to the Gerudo themselves. When they heard about the birth of a baby boy away from the tribe, they couldn't ignore it. They sent soldiers to the town to collect the boy, and the town's governors, not ready for a fight or willing to fight over something like this, forcibly surrendered Denali and her baby son back to the Gerudo. The father yelled and fought and tried to stop it, but in the end he wasn't able to do anything, and men are not allowed to come to the Gerudos' home. So that was the last time he saw his love or his child.

"Denali was tried and very quickly convicted of crimes against the throne, of not only kidnapping, but kidnapping the future _King_. So she was branded a traitor, and sentenced publicly. She was executed in the Town Square."

"_Whoa!" _the Skull Kid exclaimed.

Rigo nodded. "The Gerudo don't take their traditions lightly. Before the deed was done though, Denali entrusted her mother, the boy's grandmother, to look after him. She agreed to raise the boy, and make sure that he grew up into a man worthy of being a King. One that would make Denali proud. And the grandmother agreed to do exactly that."

Rigo blinked his eyes several times and sighed at the conclusion of the old story. It had an impact, though not enough to sate the Skull Kid's curiosity.

"_Well?"_ it asked._ "What happened? Did the son ever become King?"_

Rigo let out a short laugh. "You know, I don't know."

"_Tch,"_ the Skull Kid dismissed. _"We think that story was a cheat."_

Rigo rolled his eyes. "Did you like it or not?"

"_I guess. You gotta make the ending better. And it wouldn't be that hard. That kid got real, real lucky, after all. If Denali'd got away, his life woulda been boooooooring. It woulda just been him, his mom, and his dad, and they'd have settled down wherever, and lived dully ever after. This way, I bet he _does_ become King! He gets a cool life, and probably lots more adventures. Do you know any of _those_ stories?"_

Rigo's heart wrenched at the callous yet innocent interpretation of the story's outcome, and couldn't help but wonder if the little imp was right about what might have happened. What the boy's life might have been. But that didn't really matter. Neither of them would really find out.

"Loads," he said, answering the Skull Kid's question.

"_Tell me another one?"_ it asked him.

Rigo shook his head. "I only promised one. And you still owe me a riddle."

"_C'mon!"_ the Skull Kid went on. _"I wanna hear about the King! I thought you were fun!"_

"I am," Rigo said. "But I'm also running out of time. I need to get after that other man, and I need you to help me. So please, can you ask Tumu. What is the final riddle?"

The Skull Kid seemed to glare at him, but stood up and took his lantern with him. As Rigo watched, the creature began to grow more transparent before his eyes, the light in the lantern going out. He was disappearing.

"Hey!" Rigo yelled, shooting up and after it. He reached out to grab it, but his hands passed through its mostly transparent form, and snatched nothing but air.

"We had a deal!" he snarled at the air.

"_Still do,"_ the Skull Kid's voice said from nowhere. _"'I'll tell you one more. Say the answer, and we'll get you back to your friends, and show you all the way out. Give the wrong answer, and stay here forever. Then we'll have plenty of time for stories."_

Rigo looked around, but knew he wouldn't find it. Much as he may have gotten used to Nabooru's presence, he still did not fully enjoy speaking to disembodied voices.

"_Riddle this," _the creature said from its hiding place. _"They try and beat me, all in vain. For once I win, I end their pain. What am I?"_

And Rigo grimaced. It wasn't easy, and he didn't know.


	44. Piercing the Veil

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 44: Piercing the Veil  
**By, Frank Hunter

"_They try and beat me, all in vain. For once I win, I end their pain. What am I?"_

_Nabooru?_ Rigo asked. _Any idea?_

_Sorry kid,_ the spirit answered. _That first one was easy, but I'm not big on word games. You're on your own._

Not the answer Rigo had wanted.

_A _little_ help wouldn't go amiss. Beat me all in vain…is it an army? _he guessed.

_Armies get beaten all the time,_ Nabooru countered.

_The Hero then? He never loses._

_But he also isn't arrogant or violent._

_Ugh!_

A clicking noise began coming out from the woods, steady as a metronome. _"Tick tock, try your luck," _the Skull Kid said.

"You need to give me a little time," Rigo told it.

"_We're already bored. Take a guess," _it answered.

_A monster? _he asked.

_Too vague,_ Nabooru said.

_If we can't get out of here, Tydus is gonna get to the Waters. How about something helpful?_

_He hasn't gotten there yet,_ Nabooru said. _He can't open the gate. Just answer the question, and you'll be fine._

_If I give the wrong answer, then we're gonna be stuck in here forever and Tydus can take however long he needs. And you're being completely useless. I should maybe just kill myself right now and save the time._

_Wait a minute,_ he thought. Like most good riddles, when the answer came to him, it was painfully obvious.

"Death!" he shouted at the Skull Kid. "Death can't be beaten, and it ends your pain!"

The irritating ticking noise stopped and Rigo was engulfed in silence, but he stood his ground. He didn't want to make any more demands or accusations. He had won. If the creature didn't honor that, then he would have to fight it. But a being like the Skull Kid wasn't likely to renig on a fair arrangement.

Sure enough, in the distance, Rigo again saw an orange light gradually fade into existence. It lit up the trees in that direction most pleasantly. Beyond that light, Rigo could see a second flame coming to life in the distance.

The voice of the Skull Kid blared to life around him. _"That,"_ the voice said, _"was a good game."_

"Thank you," Rigo answered, unsure of what else to say.

"_You follow Tumu's lights. Tumu's lights will take you to the Sacred Grove. To where the other one went. And when you get there…tell us. You will kill him?"_

Rigo put one foot in front of the other and began to walk toward the string of lights. He could see a third glowing into existence further on. "That is the plan," he said.

Mild giggling from the Skull Kid. _"When you finish, you come back. Tell us the story. We would like to hear. Very much."_

"Sure," Rigo said, knowing full well that whatever happened, if he was still alive at the end of it, he'd have to cross back through the Lost Woods. Still, if he could find a way to never set foot in this place again, he damned well knew he would take it.

"I need my friends, too," he reminded the Skull Kid.

"_Everyone comes. You will meet them at the end. Walk well, and see you again."_

Rigo took that as goodbye, and when he neared the first light, he found that it was not the Skull Kid there holding it, but some sort of an anthropomorphic tree. It was almost twice Rigo's full height, and appeared to be sentient. It had a face, and the limb that held the lantern looked eerily like a hand. But the tree-thing did nothing but slowly gesture onward, toward the second light and the second such creature.

Rigo followed them, going through what felt like a hundred lighted groves before he began to see them in the distance: the flickers of other such lights. Other lines of firelight illuminated in the fog. Paths constructed for the Gerudo army to find their way forward so that they wouldn't remain lost. So they wouldn't _change_, as the Skull Kid had put it.

When he reached the end, Rigo found that the lights stopped just short of a final clearing that opened upon an ancient solid stone wall. There was an opening in the wall where it looked like at some point there may have been a door, but now it was just a tunnel through to whatever was on the other side. Flanking the open tunnel were two Hylian guards standing watch. So he'd actually made it to the right place.

Rigo didn't come fully out of the woods, instead ducking behind a tree at the sight of the guards. He wasn't ready to sound any alarms just yet, not with his army still scattered. If he played this right, the Gerudo could go into this with the element of surprise on their hands. If not, and the warning got back to Tydus, they would effectively be bottlenecked in this tunnel as they tried to push through to the other side. And if he waited long enough, there would be too many Gerudo soldiers here, and the lookouts were bound to see someone eventually.

It was while he was waiting behind the tree, trying to figure out the best course of action, that he heard a whisper from off to the side. "Psst," it called quietly. He glanced over and squinted, trying to find the source of the sound. As he focused his eyes, his heart fluttered and all but stopped. Ducked down behind a thick shrub, hiding for all she was worth, he could see the white of Amili's tunic.

He couldn't make out much of her, but it was clear what she was holding up in her hand: a bow. Two of them, two guards. They could take the lookouts together. Rigo unslung his own bow from over his shoulder and showed Amili that he'd gotten the idea. She lowered her bow, and Rigo loaded an arrow.

From the distance, there wasn't much by way of communication or organization, but Rigo figured the plan was simple enough. He took aim at the guard on his side of the tunnel, waited quietly, and when the arrow was lined up, he fired.

It pierced the guard straight through the throat, and the man reached and clutched at it for a hectic moment before the loss of oxygen and blood caught up to him and his back slid down the wall. His partner had an instant to be surprised by what happened before Amili's arrow lashed out from the woods and took him down in similar fashion.

The watchmen down, Rigo and Amili emerged quickly from the woods and trotted up to the bodies. Their eyes met, and Rigo wanted to hold her, embrace her, tell her he'd never leave her behind again and to his excitement, she looked like she wanted nothing but the same. But, refined as she was, she did not succumb to these desires. Instead, she grabbed the corpse.

It felt to Rigo as though he and Amili would never have their perfect moment, never get the chance to recover and return to the way things were. He grabbed the other body, the one he'd shot, under the arms and dragged the man back off into the woods. Amili did the same. When they came back together, alone now, Rigo it would be worth trying to say something. Anything, before they were again surrounded by troops they needed to set an example for.

"Amili," he ventured. "I was so afraid I'd lost you. I don't know-"

"I'm here," she said. "We're all fine. I saw more lights along the way, more paths, I'm guessing for the rest of the troops? What are they?"

"Guides," he said simply. "It's a long story."

"Those are the only kind you seem to know."

Rigo sighed. "Amili, I know we don't have a lot of time. I know a lot changed the night Sooru came for me. But I swear on everything I've ever loved that I never forgot about you while I was in Hyrule. I always cared. I still do. And if we get out of this, I promise I'll tell you everything. And I will never stay away again."

Her head lolled and she regarded him with tired eyes. "Is this the part where I'm supposed forgive you and swoon, and tell you I love you?"

_She ought to be a writer, _Nabooru injected.

"No," Rigo said, ignoring the spirit. "It's just, for real, we may not make it out of this. And if we don't, I don't want everything to end with bad blood between us. I want you to know the truth, and I wish I could tell you the whole thing now. But the short version is that I'm still here with you. And that I always have been."

"Rigo," Amili answered. "_If_ we get out of this, I will give you your chance to explain. But in case we know, just know that I never forgot either. And I still miss you. And I do want to hear everything."

She put her hand on his shoulder and wore the hint of her old smile on her face, and Rigo wished that the time, that moment, could have been right then. If he could have wished for anything in the world, that would have been it. But that was not the moment.

The two stood together as more Gerudo began to filter out of the woods, one by one. Wherever the lighted paths were, they weren't visible from here, which, Rigo supposed, showed a bit of cleverness on the Skull Kid's part. As the group began massing in the clearing, Rigo saw the blindfolded eyes of Pureet as she emerged, being led by the hand by another soldier.

"I stayed by her side, Stewardess. The whole way," the soldier reported to Amili. Amili thanked her and dismissed her into the ranks. Rigo embraced his old teacher, genuinely surprised and relieved to see her again. If there was anyone who would have been unable to follow the lights, it was Pureet.

"I hope you did not think me the type to sit out a fight?" she asked, sardonically.

"You kidding?" Rigo asked, working to keep the tears in his eyes out of his voice. "Never doubted you for a second."

He led her over to a place where she could sit down and take water and rations, which all of the troops were permitted to spend a few minutes doing. After the stress of the forest, it would have been ideal to wait at least a day, to regroup and recover from the scare they'd had, but time, as always, was not on their side, and it wouldn't be long before Tydus discovered his lookouts were missing. There was no choice but to prepare quickly, and deliver their assault immediately and without mercy.

"We can be ready in a matter of moments," Amili told Rigo once the final head count had been done, and it had become clear that the Skull Kid had kept his word: all of the soldiers had been recovered and returned safely.

"But we don't know what's on the other side of the wall," she said. "Do you have any idea what to expect?"

"Yeah," he said. "I do."

_Nabooru?_ he asked inwardly. _What can you see?_


	45. Beginning of the End

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 45: Beginning of the End  
**By, Frank Hunter

"To the right of the entrance, set up on a dais, is the gate to the Sacred Realm," Rigo told Amili, based off the information Nabooru was able to glimpse through Tydus. "To the left is the grove where the Pedestal of Time is. We need to secure both locations."

"Door's on the right, lock's on the left," Amili repeated.

"Right, and we'll need the Chalice to open the lock. Tydus will have it on him. We'll have to get to him. He'll probably be near the door." Rigo knew for a fact he was.

Amili nodded. "Alright. I'll lead half our tropps to take the Pedestal, you get the door and the Chalice with the other half. By the time you secure it, I should have cleared a path for you. As long as we can keep the gateway secure, we can open it and protect the way inside. We can find the Waters, and end the battle before it turns too bloody."

"Alright," Rigo said, not liking the idea of splitting up with Amili, but knowing that it made the most sense for there to be leadership on both sides. "It's a plan."

Amili passed the strategy around to her squad leaders and divided them up into two groups, each with one objective. When they were briefed, recovered, and ready, there was no more stalling. It was finally time to fight.

The Gerudo army took to the tunnel quietly, saving their cries and shouts for when they reached the other side. Rigo positioned himself at the halfway point, at the back of the gateway squad, while Amili kept to the rear behind the pedestal squad. The first squad leader, a woman named Cila, marched beside Rigo as they entered the tunnel.

"It is an honor to fight alongside you, my Prince," Cila said. "I've dreamed of this day since first the Stewardess reclaimed the crown for you."

Rigo shook his head. He could never wrap his brain around the sheer level of devotion some of the people felt, always _had _felt toward him. "Doesn't any of this scare you at all?" he asked Cila.

"No, my Prince," Cila said. "The Sand Goddess watches over you. And you watch over us. I have faith."

He wanted to tell the woman not to put so much stock in her faith, to take some of her destiny into her own hands, but he knew how well that would work if he tried it with Pureet. This would probably be the same. Instead, he steeled himself, and just looked forward to what was ahead.

When the first of the Gerudo reached the exit, they let out a shrieking war cry that almost made Rigo cover his own ears. It grew and amplified as it was taken up by the troops behind them, following suit and screaming for their lives. Cila screamed out, "ATTACK!" and by the time Rigo made the entrance, the battle proper had begun.

The Hylians had been startled and taken off guard by the screaming force of Gerudo that came down upon them like a wave, but they were recovering fast, gathering and countering the oncoming army. The first thing Rigo noticed was that the so-called Sacred Grove was not a particularly large space. It looked as though it were comprised of the ruins of a single building, and Rigo guessed that this was actually the physical remains of the Temple of Time as Nabooru had known it. Even fitting the two armies here in the best of conditions would be tight. This was going to be a close-quarters fight any way you sliced it. That was dangerous.

The second thing he noticed was the looming form of Tydus. The man was up on the dais, exactly where Nabooru had said he would be, and as Rigo entered and glanced up, Tydus was already looking down on him, the expression on his face the usual twist of anger and fear, though Rigo was beginning to suspect he saw more of the latter now. Tydus had obviously stopped presuming he knew everything about fighting the Gerudo, and about fighting Rigo. He had been truly shaken by what he'd seen at Gerudo Valley. He knew he'd need the Waters of Nayru for Hyrule to stand a chance against the invaders. And he was beginning to worry he wouldn't be able to get to it.

"Form up!" Tydus shouted at his troops. "The enemy is upon us! Hold them at the gates!"

Rigo pulled his bow and released a hasty arrow in Tydus's direction. The big man ducked and quickly drew back behind the doorway, out of sight.

Rigo scowled. "Would'a been too easy…" he said to no one in particular, and in that moment, the Hylians were upon him.

Flanked by his own people, part of his own army, Rigo found himself in the middle of combat. An armed Hylian soldier was suddenly before him, taking a wide, two-handed swing with his cleaver of a sword at Rigo's chest. Rigo ducked, attempting to parry the blow with his bow. He succeeded in not being cut, but at the cost of the weapon. It shattered upon impact, and Rigo had to disregard the useless thing on the floor.

Buying a precious second was more than enough, though. As the Hylian recovered from the swing, Rigo drew his own sword, and when the big blade came back, he was ready to counter it, swipe it aside, and slice back at the man holding it. He swung his own succession of quick, vicious strikes, putting the Hylian on the defensive, ducking behind his shield. He felt his confidence bolstered as he was joined by the pushes of his people around him, in unison. The Gerudo were fighting with the passion and bravery and strength of a people oppressed for centuries, a people fighting for their own freedom, their own right to be. And they knew that, and they appreciated the risk, and they wanted nothing more than to win their home back. The Gerudo would not take anything short of death for an answer.

When the soldier slipped up, Rigo was able cut his blade down over the man's chest. The armor deflected most of it, though a few circles of chain link went flying off in random directions, but it put the man off balance, and another swing to the helmet knocked him over. Once on the ground, the other Gerudo were upon him, and before long it was clear he would not be getting up again.

The Hylians defended their position strongly, but not nearly strongly enough. As the Gerudo continued to push them back, their line broke into pieces, and Rigo found himself upon a series of stone blocks that appeared to have once been a stairwell. It was rubble now, but with enough of an incline to climb up and reach the top of the dias. He pulled himself up, one arm after the other, until he reached the top. Until he reached…

Tydus!

As Rigo's head popped over the top, he was treated to the sight of Tydus's blade, the big man's sword coming down straight at his head. Rigo shifted to the side and the sword clanged against the stone stair instead, a spark shooting off of it, warming Rigo's cheek. Rigo retaliated with a swipe to the man's legs, but he jumped it easily. As he was about to make another attempt at Rigo though, he was hit in the side by a wooden arrow, which lodged into his chain link. A quick look off to the side showed Cila there, positioned with a couple of other archers who'd separated themselves from the main fighting, taking quick shots at Tydus, protecting Rigo from a distance.

None of the arrows were well aimed, but they were enough to drive Tydus back into cover to protect himself, and Rigo pulled himself up onto the dais and stood, facing the man.

"_Sorcerer,"_ Tydus cursed at Rigo as he got his feet under him.

"_Coward_," Rigo swore back.

The man wore the most cracked, sinister scowl across his face as he pointed his sword at Rigo with his right hand. Clutched tightly in his left was the Chalice of Nayru.

"You have no looming orders from the Queen this time, _brat_," he shouted. "No armies of bloody _ghosts_ to protect you now."

"No," Rigo answered. "This time it's just _you_ and _me_."

Without another word, Rigo lunged at the man, swinging his blade with all the power he could muster. The Colonel blocked, his sword knocked aside, and Rigo swung again, putting his anger behind each swing, remembering everything this man was, everything he was trying to do. Picturing the faces of Amili and of his grandmother, of everyone, and remembering that every single face was a reason why this maniac had to be stopped.

"Do you see yourself as _virtuous_!?" Tydus mocked as he swung at Rigo's neck. Rigo blocked and was forced a step backward. "Are you the _Hero_ himself, come to kill me!? Does that make you feel better!?"

"You're insane," Rigo said. At the end of the day, Tydus was a bigger man. He had a longer reach and a bigger sword, and it was difficult to get inside on him.

"You lie to yourself, mongrel," Tydus said. Rigo tried for another swipe. Tydus parried and, to Rigo's surprise, swung out at him with his other hand, with the Chalice. Caught off guard, the Chalice hit him in the face, cutting him under his eye and knocking him backward.

"It's easy for you to label _me_," Tydus said. He swung out at Rigo now, pressing his advantage, again and again. Rigo blocked, backing up. He tried to move enough to expose Tydus to the ongoing battle below them, to try and open him up to the archers that had helped before, but when he clambered out from behind the doorway, it was clear that they were now gone, preoccupied with the rest of the battle. Rigo was alone.

He tried to shove aside the pain, but distracted by it, he slipped. One misstep and he was down on the ground, and Tydus wasted no time. A heavy boot came down, crushing Rigo's wrist, pinning his sword to the ground. Rigo tried to lift it back up, but Tydus just pushed down harder, just short of the pressure he'd need to crack bones in Rigo's arm. Rigo cried out in pain.

"_You_ are the one invading my home. _You_ are the enemy. _You_ are the threat. And _I_ am here to protect my people from you and yours!" Tydus raised his sword up, high over his head and prepared to come down on Rigo with the force of a killing blow. Rigo threw his free arm over his head to do what he futilely could to block it, but knew it would do no good. This would be it.

"We've known one Ganondorf," Tydus said. "Never again!"

As the sword began to come down and Rigo prepared for a quick, sharp pain and a bright white light, suddenly the pressure on his wrist was removed. Tydus grunted and was knocked aside. Rigo looked up, and saw the form of Pureet slam into the big man from the side, knocking him back into the far wall.

"You do not touch him," Pureet said, positioning herself between the two of them. Rigo couldn't see where she had come from or how she had gotten up alone, but she was here, looking out for him still.

Tydus recovered from the blow and looked over her. He looked suspicious, as though this blind woman surely must be some kind of joke, but as she made another attempt with her sword in his direction, he decided not to risk underestimating her. He came at her with everything he had, and it was overbearing. However Pureet managed to get herself around, impressive as her ability was with her handicap, it was definitely not due to any superhuman sensation or divine power. Her blindness, Rigo could see clearly now, was a liability. And lack of sight did not aid her against the full power of Tydus. And as Rigo scrambled for his sword and for his balance, he was forced to watch, almost in slow motion, as Pureet lost her bearings, tried to attack at a locationthat Tydus was no longer in, and saw the big man came down on her from the side.

"Pureet, look out!" Rigo yelled, but it was too late. He watched as the Colonel's sword pierced through his old teacher's chest, how the tip, covered in precious scarlet blood, emerged from between her shoulder blades in back. He heard Pureet gasp, an awful, horrifying, stifled sound, and saw her shrink as her final breath left her body. She transformed before his eyes into a lifeless shell, the thing that had once been his teacher, his confidant, and his friend.

"Disgusting swine," Tydus said as he dropped her body to the floor in an irreverent heap. It was enough to push Rigo over the edge.

"You_ bastard!"_ he yelled, and he was upon the man without a moment's hesitation.

No words could take in his anger as he assaulted Tydus, who was immediately put on the defensive, guarding against Rigo as though the boy were a force of nature. There were ladders, Rigo could see out of the corner of his eye, and more Gerudo were coming up them onto the dias now. Obviously they were close to controlling the gateway entirely. Pureet had just been the first. But, Rigo didn't care about any of it anymore. The newcomers stood back, stayed out of Rigo's way, and just watched. They were wary of him and the hateful power he had in him then. They were right to be.

Tydus tried to hold him off, but Rigo wailed, again and again, and it was all the big man could do to retreat around the small platform and block. He had no way of pressing an advantage, no way of striking back, and Rigo's energy in his rage was boundless. As Tydus's arms began to tire from taking hit after hit, his muscles grew looser by no choice of his own, and he sagged under each blow too much. That was when Rigo saw his chance.

The chain mail that Tydus wore fell down to his shoulders, no lower. On Rigo's next blow, he took aim, and though the Colonel tried again to block the onslaught, Rigo's blade connected at Tydus's left elbow exactly where Rigo wanted it to, with the full force of the Gerudo's fury behind it. The sharpened steel cut clean through flesh and muscle and bone, and the hand that held the Chalice of Nayru was sliced clean off. It collapsed to the floor.

Tydus himself cried out and fell several steps backward, toward the lip of the dais, dropping to his knees and staring in disbelief at the stump that had once been his limb. His mouth moved like a goldfish, but he looked as though he just couldn't make sense of it. He dropped his sword and touched the bloody mess at his elbow. Rigo could already see his eyes glazing over as he went into shock at the injury. Good. He wanted the man scared. He wanted him in as much fear and pain as possible before the bitter, inevitable end he was going to face right here.

"_Bleed out _you _evil_, fucking _devil!"_ Rigo spat at him, and with those words, kicked at Tydus with every ounce of strength he could muster. The man was knocked backwards, and went tumbling off the dais, head over heels. He fell down into the slaughter below, collapsing to the forest floor in the middle of his own battleground. The armies, each now fighting for their own survival, could take no time to notice this man, the fallen leader. And Rigo turned away once he saw him he laying there, bleeding into the grass.

Tydus's severed arm still lay where it fell, tangled in the blood soaked rags that had once been his cloth sleeve. It still clutched to the Chalice of Nayru as though it continued to serve its old purpose, as though no one had told it that it was no longer attached. Rigo grabbed the cup and kicked the limb away as he did, turning toward Pureet's body. As he walked to her, he could hear murmurs coming from the Gerudo around him. They were watching him with veneration in their eyes. He could hear repetitions of the word "King," but he couldn't pay it any mind just then. He turned Pureet's body over, looking for even the smallest sign that she might still be alive, that she might still be saved. But she didn't stir. She didn't breathe. She was entirely gone, taken by the villain and left with nothing but the smile that, even on her cooling face, still looked warm. She had died still believing in him, in everything he represented, and fully certain that her death would mean he could go on, that he could finish this and lead their people to victory.

"Damn it!" Rigo swore, tears filling his eyes. "Goddess, damn it all!" He didn't know how long he sat there with Pureet cradled in his lap. It can't have been long, but it felt like forever. He just wished the battle would be over. Wished that he didn't need to go on fighting it. She hadn't deserved this.

"Your Highness," he heard spoken from above him. He was tempted to ignore it and just stay in his own world, but knew that wasn't a choice. He looked up and saw Cila's face hovering above him. She was dirty and bloody and looked exhausted, but still there she was. Still she was ready to go on.

Surely he could too.

Rigo set Pureet down and got to his feet to look at Cila.

"What are your orders?" the squad leader asked.

Rigo looked over at the several Gerudo now perched on the dais beside him, and down at the battle where the bodies were beginning to pile up, but the battle formations showed him that the Hylians were surrounded, fighting the Gerudo from the middle of the Grove, on both sides.

"We hold the gateway?" Rigo asked Cila.

"Yes, m'Lord," Cila responded with iron in her belly.

Rigo looked down at the Chalice. So much. So much gone wrong over this stupid little thing.

"You do not give up this position come hell or high water, do you hear me?" Rigo asked.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"I am going to open this gate. When I do, it will become the only thing here that matters anymore." Rigo clapped her on the shoulder. "Over your dead body does anyone get in here. Do you understand?"

"I've got it," Cila said.

Rigo nodded. It wasn't over yet. He still had work to do. They all did.

In a flash, Rigo was down off the dais. He jumped and landed on his feet, plowing into a line of Hylian soldiers sword first. They didn't have an instant to see him coming, and Rigo barreled them aside as he passed, working around the center of the Grove, through a majority of Gerudo to get through the ruins and to the pedestal he knew was on the other side.

As he made it past the bulk of the fighting, he saw Amili waiting anxiously in the doorway there, flanked by guards. Behind her was a stairwell leading up. At the sight of Rigo, she visibly relaxed, and she looked just as grateful to see the relic he held in his hand.

"Are you alright?" she asked when he got within earshot.

"I'm fine," he said. "We've got the Chalice and we control the gate. Let's do this." He pushed past Amili and headed up the stairs.

"Watch the entrance," she ordered her guards, and followed after him. "Rigo, you should know. There's a problem here."

"Just one?" he shot back. He got up to the top of the stairs and out before him was the pedestal. Immediately, he could see the problem Amili was talking about.

"The Master Sword is gone," she said.

Rigo didn't stop. He strode over to the pedestal and Amili followed right behind him. "That's not a problem. We don't need it."

"Okay," Amili said. "But where is it?"

"Amili, with all due respect, I don't care. We just need to get the Chalice on there. This makes things simpler." He knew he was being short with her, but there was too much on his mind to be any other way.

"Did something happen?" she asked.

He swallowed. "Pureet is dead." The statement had an obvious impact on her. She rocked on her heels and her face froze stone cold, but she otherwise tried to hide her anger at it.

"The more time we waste, the more people are gonna die with her," Rigo went on. "So let's get moving. Let's stop this right now."

Amili nodded, clearly in disbelief over it, but her eyes were drawn to the Chalice Rigo held, and when she saw it, she got out of his way.

Rigo stepped up to the Pedestal and Nabooru, who made a habit of staying silent unless she had something practical to contribute, spoke up. _You're gonna place the Chalice right on top, right where the Master Sword should be._

_Should I be concerned that it's missing?_ Rigo asked.

_Be concerned about whatever you want. That's how you raise the Fountain._

Her tone was testier than normal, but Rigo was in no mood to be concerned or irritated by it. He just plowed through for the information he needed. _And then what?_

_Then the Fountain will be revealed on the other side of the gate, and the gateway will be unlocked._

Rigo stared at the cup, and it wasn't hard. It still had that attraction, that draw that had first pulled his eyes to it in the Sand Goddess's treasure room. This close to serving it purpose, it seemed to glimmer and shine even more brightly, eager to fulfill its function. Rigo thought it was time to let it.

Slowly, gently, he placed the Chalice of Nayru down onto the Pedestal of Time. When the silver touched the stone, he felt a rumbling. It was as though a small tremor passed through the earth and groaned its way up out of the ground, into the ruins of the Temple of Time itself. Everything shook slightly, and if Amili had not looked up and noticed, he might have believed he'd imagined it. But as they stood there glancing around at their surroundings, it ceased, and all that was left were the sounds of battle from outside.

"Is that it?" Amili asked.

_Is that it?_ Rigo asked.

_It's done,_ Nabooru responded. _Get across before the Hylians do._

"C'mon," he said to Amili. "We need to cross over into the Sacred Realm now."

He ran down the stairs with Amili behind him and emerged once more onto the battlefield. He couldn't see across the sea of combat and gleaming armor, but he hoped beyond hope that Cila still held the gateway, and that no one had yet gone inside.

Amili reunited with her guards and they came together with Rigo to form a small, keystone squad of their own. "We'll go up the side, where you came down. We stop for nothing." Rigo gave a curt nod, and beckoned for the group to come with him.

But they didn't get the chance.

Before they could move more than a few steps into the fray, a harsh, screeching sound came from overhead. The noise echoed into the Grove at a pitch so high it hurt to listen to it. Some of the combatants pulled away to clutch at their pounding ears. Others just turned to the sky. And what they saw there was startling. It was a bird, one the size of a small house, and it was diving toward the battle with purpose.

The soldiers, all of them, were thrust apart when they saw the monster. It descended rapidly and unstoppably and seemed prepared to plummet straight into the ground. The fighting momentarily stopped as they all came to grips with this new intruder. Those directly in its line of flight cleared away, giving whatever it was room to land. But it did not. As it drew closer, RIgo found that it resembled an owl, though it was obviously larger than any owl he'd ever seen, and it was carrying _something_ in its talons. As it neared the ground, it spread its wings wide, wide enough to catch a thermal and cease its descent. And released its talons, dropping its parcel.

The bird flapped with colossal effort, causing massive gusts of wind across the Grove and kicking up dust and grass into the air. The flapping slowed it, and gradually it again began again to climb. Its parcel however dropped to the ground, rolling and tumbling as it hit, coming to a stop between Hylian and Gerudo soldiers who had paused to get a glimpse at what it was. And once they got a good look, they all froze in place.

As it stopped rolling and came to rest halfway across the battlefield, Rigo could see the distinct outline of its legs, spread out to either side to stop its momentum, and he first realized that this was actually a person. A man. He was dressed in brown leather boots, and a tunic of forest green. And when he stood, Rigo could also see the hat, streaming out behind him in that distinctive way it always did in the pictures. It was colored green to match the tunic.

The man looked around himself, apparently not expecting to have been dropped in the middle of a bloody war zone, and took in the shocked and awed looks from the soldiers around him. When he'd seen it all, he turned for the doorway to the Pedestal of Time and found Rigo and Amili standing in it. His deep eyes, brown as tree bark, went wide at the sight of Rigo, mistaking him, as they all did, for the villain he was not. Thinking he recognized Rigo as the man that he, Link, the Legendary Hero, was forever destined to fight.

_Well, there's something you don't see every day, _Nabooru marveled.

"Hell," Rigo said out loud, forgetting himself. Of anything he might have expected to encounter here, this was not on the list. And he made no mistake, Link was an obstacle. Whatever the Hero had come for, Rigo knew one thing.

It wouldn't be good.


	46. Heroes and Villains

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 46: Heroes and Villains  
**By, Frank Hunter

Once they recovered from the sudden interruption, the Hylian soldiers were bolstered. They began cheering in a confident, clamorous wave that set Rigo's nerves on edge. He could see the Gerudo taking the opportunity to slink back into tighter groups, preparing for the battle to resume. Link, the Legendary Hero, was always first and foremost a Hylian champion. He was the one who consistently stopped the Gerudo King Ganondorf over the course of centuries. He was a bane on the Gerudo, and the primary reason for their failure and exile.

And he was staring straight at Rigo.

"Amili," Rigo said softly. "I'm going to draw his attention. When I do, you make for the gateway as quickly as possible."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, floundering. "You want me to leave you?!"

"You have to get to the Waters of Nayru. However important they were before, they're our only chance now. We can't win without them. I'll guard the Chalice from him."

Amili grimaced, but said nothing. She understood what had to be done. She collected her guards around her, and Rigo stepped forward a few paces to meet Link face-to-face, his sword in hand.

"I know why you've come," Rigo spoke to him. He didn't really know what he could, _should_ say to the Hero, but he knew he had to say something. The Gerudo soldiers were terrified now, and it would be up to Rigo to show them that there was still hope. That their King stood strong, and that he could defy him. If there was ever a moment for Rigo to step up and _become_ King in the eyes of his people, this was it.

"You think you can take it, don't you? You think you can take what we've fought so hard for?!"

Link said nothing, but reached over his shoulder for his sword. As he pulled it slowly from its scabbard, it erupted into a glow, a supernatural glean that emanated from it with the hum of true power. Rigo didn't need a second look to know that this was the Master Sword that had been missing from its Pedestal. This was where it had gone.

"Too long have you stood as an enemy against the Gerudo. Too long have you been the catalyst of our persecution." Rigo stood, as tall as he could, projecting his voice for all the people to hear. "Your bright little sword may have been enough to undo Ganondorf, but it will not stop us! You will oppress the Gerudo people no longer!"

He thrust his sword over his head in a gesture of defiance, and could see Amili's soldiers responding, reanimating at his energy. He wished he felt as confident as he sounded, but he forced himself on, knowing full well that this really meant something different. This would mean hope for the rest of them. But it would likely only mean the end for Rigo.

"So come on, Hero!" he yelled. "Try what you want. Because this, right here? This is where your legend ends!"

A collective shout erupted from the Gerudo, and in an instant, the battle was unfrozen. The soldiers came back together in conflict, invigorated now, fighting faster and stronger than before. Link was released from his place, and Master Sword at his side, charged at Rigo with all the speed he could muster. Rigo set his feet apart and got ready to make his stand.

_What can you tell me about him?_ he asked Nabooru hastily, hoping. He knew the odds of getting some deep secret from her were slim, but it was worth the try.

_You may have guessed this, but that's not the Hero of my time. Judging by his youth, he's also not the Hero of Zelda's time. If he's been reincarnated again, then I'm sorry, kid. I won't be much help. The mantle of the Hero stays the same through the ages, but the bearers are individuals. They change._

Rigo gritted his teeth. So no ideas on how he fought. Nothing to help. Fine. He'd have to figure it out the old fashioned way.

As Link closed on him and made his first stab with the Master Sword, Rigo ducked under it and gave the Legendary Hero a knee straight to his gut. It connected solidly, and as Link grunted and doubled over, Rigo swung his own blade at the back of his enemy's head. But Link was incredibly fast. He used his momentum to duck into a roll, and came up on Rigo's back side. Rigo spun and was able to block the next couple of attacks before the Hero withdrew for a breath. He was tough, yes, but he was Hylian, not a god. Rigo decided not to abandon all hope just yet.

They clashed swords, and Amili took advantage of the distraction as she had been instructed. She and her guards made off, back into the battle. Rigo wondered how long it would be before she could reach the other side. How long before she found the Fountain in the Sacred Realm? Presumably it had already been raised, and according to Nabooru, that was the tricky part. So five minutes? Ten? He just hoped he could hold Link for that time.

Another flurry of strikes from Link's glowing blade pressed Rigo backward, almost putting his back to the wall. One of the slashes got through, connecting with his leather breastplate, but the hard armor prevented any real damage from being done. Rigo clumsily lashed back at him, but was parried and succeeded in little else but forcing Link back a couple of paces.

There'd been no time to _think_ about any of this before acting, but everything was racing through Rigo's mind now. What _was_ the Hero of Legend doing here? Zelda had sent him; that much was plain. She must have caught wind of Tydus's treachery and, admittedly, his own. Link would have been sent then to get the situation back in hand. To take the Fountain for the Throne of Hyrule before it had the chance to fall into either enemy's hands.

Rigo wondered if the Queen had known about Link's presence when they'd talked together that night in the castle. He'd be inclined to say no, but at this point he wasn't so sure. Zelda was crafty enough to have delivered Link here, to have put him in a place to become a threat to everyone in a single clever move. Who knew how capable she was of dealing in secrets and lies? Secrets and lies were, after all, the currency any Gerudo would expect from the Hylians.

Link forced himself inward and shoulder checked Rigo in the chest, knocking the air from his lungs and sending him sprawling to the ground. But instead of bearing down on him, instead of trying for a killing blow, the Hero turned and ran. Away from the fight, away and up, into the stairwell that led to the Pedestal of Time. To the Chalice. The Gerudo soldiers nearby were either too distracted or frightened of Link to get in his way.

"No!" Rigo yelled, scurried to his feet, and gave close persuit.

He caught up with Link at the top of the stairs, dove, and grabbed him around his legs, tripping him up and dropping the both of them back to the forest floor before either could reach the Pedestal. Link turned over and swung the Master Sword back at Rigo, but the Gerudo rolled out of the way and sprung back to his feet, ready to challenge the Hero again.

Rigo was reminded of his idea back at Hyrule Castle, about the conflict between the goddesses Din, Farore, and Nayru. Nabooru had told him at the time that even if he was correct about the whole thing, it was moot because Zelda was the only divine vassal left. Nayru was the only goddess still represented in the physical world. But Nabooru had been wrong. _This_, the appearance of Link here, now, changed things. The Hero was the agent of Farore, alive and in the flesh, and acting in conjunction with Nayru's vassal. And if Rigo's theory was right, then the two of them would only expose themselves for a single purpose: to stand against the agent of the third. To stand against Din.

But if that was the case, where was Din's agent now? Hers was the only one Rigo had yet to encounter, and he expected hers would be the most prominent.

He engaged Link and slashed his blade straight into the Master Sword. Link caught him, and their swords locked together, both combatants pushing against the other with the full weight of their bodies. Rigo was the taller and physically stronger of the two, and as he applied more and more pressure, he could feel Link buckling under him, giving way to his will. The small success built his confidence. He could outlast the Hero in a lock like this. He might put himself in a position to land a glancing hit, or maybe even a lethal one if he got lucky. He angled and prepared to break the lock and saw the nervousness surfacing in Link's eyes. He felt elation rise in his chest as he anticipated the moment of possible victory. Then suddenly, he was struck by a single, horrifying thought.

Din's agent. He realized there was only one person who _could_ hold that mantle. And that person was right here.

After all was said and done, who had come to this place to steal away the Waters of Nayru? Who was mere _inches_ away from accomplishing that goal? Who was prepared to become the ruler of the entire world, through exertion of that stolen power? Rigo knew he could justify the overarching need to end Tydus's plans all day long, but in the end, Tydus was nothing but a paranoid fool, and Rigo had already cast him down. The Hylians were leaderless, and might have been defeated before the day was out, and _still_ Rigo had opened the gate. _Still_ he sent his own agents to raid the goddesses' Sacred Realm, and _still_ he intended to go forward with his plan, despite the promise he had made to Zelda to put a stop to all of this. And now, here he stood, ready, if given the opportunity, to use his own sword to murder the Hero of Legend. In truth, there was only one person here with the means and the drive to take control of the Waters of Nayru and impose his own will on the world.

"It's me," Rigo whispered, and the terror of the thought must have registered in his eyes.

He thought of every evil act, every _atrocity_ ever attributed to his predecessor, Ganondorf, and put himself in that position. Saw himself allying with monsters and devils to rule over the land. Hell, he'd already _done_ that once with the ghosts at the Arbiter's Grounds. He could attack Hyrule Castle and set himself upon its throne. He even had an army that would help him accomplish it. And when that was done? He would seal away the secrets of the Fountain, and keep the power for himself. And the _reasons_ he did it mattered so little now that they were inconsequential. From the very beginning, the moment he broke that Gerudo guardswoman's leg and stole the camel from his own people all those years ago, he had been driven by a single-minded determination to prove himself, and had disregarded the consequences of everything he had done. Can a person be redeemed for his actions? He'd wondered it at the time. But now, he thought that if it _were_ possible, that person would at least need to show penance for their behavior. He had shown none.

No villain, he realized, becomes a villain because they decide to _make_ _themselves_ evil. Everything comes from individual perspective. Everyone has a point of view. And Rigo knew that from his point of view, every action he had taken had been reasonable enough. And there would always be those who agreed with him. The Gerudo would fight for him to the ends of their lives. But at the same time, there would always be those who didn't understand. Those who would only remember the hurt he caused them and their families. Many of the Hylians who died here today would have wives and children. Would _they_ consider Rigo's decisions and actions heroic when all this was over?

He understood that there was a reason some of the Gerudo had supported Sooru, while others supported him. It was the same reason some Hylians supported Tydus over Zelda, and others probably had misgivings. It's because people make their own decisions about the rhyme and reason of the world. And for the very first time, he understood that even Ganondorf himself could not truly have been a monster. Ganondorf had been a man as well. And as a man, he also must have made his own choices and decisions to get to where he had gotten. In his own mind, and even the minds of his followers and supporters, what he'd done had made sense. It had been right. It had been just. And it had been for the sake of the best possible future they all could imagine.

In light of all of this, Rigo also realized that he could no longer go forward. He couldn't kill Link, he couldn't take the Waters of Nayru. To do so would just be to walk a path of destruction that had been laid before him by a goddess whose only real virtue was power. Rigo didn't want power. He hadn't ever wanted to kill anyone. All he had wanted was the love of a girl, and a chance to light the way for his lost people. But now, his best intentions had spiraled into _this._ And he didn't see a way out.

Fortunately, he didn't have to. Link, taking advantage of Rigo's distraction, smashed he shield into the Gerudo's face. Rigo had just long enough to marvel at the fact that he at least hadn't felt his nose break, when Link jumped, clear over his head, in a feat of athleticism that should by all rights have been impossible. Turning a summersault in the air, the Hero came down behind him, and Rigo felt the sting of the Master Sword as it struck him on the back of the neck. He went down fast, and everything around him went black.


	47. Call to Destiny

**The Waters of Nayru  
Chapter 47: Call to Destiny  
**By, Frank Hunter

When it wasn't the end, Rigo almost felt disappointed. There would have been a simple kind of peace in losing, in dying. A rest the likes of which he hadn't felt in years. But he didn't go out for long. Didn't see a light at the end of the tunnel. He could feel the blood trickling down his back, but it was nothing more than a scratch. The Hero of Time had not finished him. He had left him there.

Vision began to clear, and the sight of grass beneath him, green in the shaded daylight, coalesced into recognizable sight. Rigo felt light-headed, but pushed himself up anyway. He fought delirium, needing instead to see what had happened. Had the battle ended? Was everyone dead?

As he made his feet, he spotted the shape of the green-clad Hero off to his side, and started almost violently enough to fall to the ground again. But the Hero didn't see him. Link had his back turned, and was facing the Pedestal of Time and, Rigo knew, the Chalice. He had his weapon, the Master Sword, raised high overhead, but something was wrong. The Hero wasn't moving. He stood, still as a statue, as though striking a dramatic pose for an audience that wasn't there. Rigo watched him for a long moment, but nothing continued to happen. He just stood there.

_Maybe this is a dream,_ he thought to himself. _Maybe I really am dead._

_Sorry to burst your bubble,_ came the immediate reply. _But we're both still here._

Rigo stifled a laugh. _Like you can prove anything, _he thought at Nabooru. _You're dead too._

With an effort of will, he was able to put one foot ahead of the other. Through a challenge of balance, he kept from falling, and repeated the procedure, approaching the Hero slowly as the world blurred around him in a fuzzy, surreal way. Were there still the sounds of battle clamoring in the distance? He couldn't tell. He could only distantly notice that his sword was still clutched in his hand.

He circled around the Hero to get a better look at the man, and had to process what he was seeing. Link stood there, before the Chalice, and Rigo could feel something radiating off the artifact. There was a kind of energy there, flowing like water from the Chalice into the Hero. Rigo thought that if he closed his eyes he could almost see it, but decided that that made even less sense than usual. Still, he could feel the force, and apparently Link could feel it too, because he was fettered with no apparent means of escape. Though as Rigo came around into his field of vision, Link's eyes darted to him. So, his opponent could still see. He was still conscious. And he looked afraid. Deathly afraid.

So, this was really happening.

Rigo lifted his blade and looked up and down the weapon. It felt like it weighed a million pounds in his hand, and he knew that if it came down to it, he probably couldn't fight another battle now. But from the looks of things, he wouldn't have to.

Link's tunic overlapped a jacket of strong chain mail. Rigo could see it under his sleeves and at his waist. That sort of armor, good for protecting one's body during a fast and frantic battle, wouldn't be of any use to him now. Helpless as he was, Rigo would have only to slide it up to expose the soft flesh of Link's side, his mortal body underneath the symbolic outfit he wore. Rigo's sword would cut through that flesh without trouble or hesitation. The steel would slide up between his ribs and puncture his heart, his lungs. It would put an end to him here without trouble. The battle would be over. And from the fear in his eyes, Rigo guessed Link knew it too.

The way in which he stood, with his hands over his head and his sword safely out of the way, served to make him appear that much more vulnerable. It was an odd stance in which to get caught. Rigo wondered what it was he'd been trying to do. He could have just reached down and taken the Chalice, stolen away with it while Rigo was unconscious. That would have done the job, to close the Fountain and leave Hyrule with the key. But the way he was standing it almost looked like his plan was to destroy it.

He smirked at the idea, contemplating the absurdity of the notion when he was forced to the conclusion that it wasn't absurd at all. His condescension turned to curiosity, then slowly into epiphany. His denial disappeared and was replaced with absolute revelation. Rigo realized that this, all of it, made sense under an assumption that he had never before considered. Until now, he had expected that Queen Zelda was only looking out for her own interests. That she wanted the Chalice for Hyrule. He'd felt betrayed when Link had shown up here, that was true. It had looked on the surface as though Zelda had sent some powerful agent into the chaos simply to ensure that she came out on top in the end of it all. But what if that wasn't the case? What if, when they had spoken, Zelda had simply been telling Rigo the truth?

Truth. It was a novel concept. Rigo had spent the majority of his life weeding through so many lies and deceptions, how could he possibly have expected it? But if Zelda were just speaking truth, if she was just interested in the safety of both of their people, Hylian and Gerudo alike, and was not interested in gaining the power of Nayru for her own benefit, that would explain things. It would explain the rift between her and Tydus, a man who knew only might and how to best use it against an enemy. It would explain the glorification of Zelda's line in the Hylian mythology. And it would explain _this._ Rigo looked at Link again, in a new light, as he stood there frozen in time. This was Nayru's Fountain alright, but Rigo wondered which goddess's power it was that had prevented the Hero from lashing out at the Chalice. It probably wasn't Nayru standing against Link now.

It was Din. She stood watch over her investment, seeking the preservation of power as it now stood in Rigo's hands. She watched over Rigo, who would take that power and use it to defy the other entities and claim lordship over all. He looked again at the sword in his hand, no longer wearied by the weight of it, but frustrated that his hand should serve as such a single-minded tool in this game that the goddesses had been playing seemingly since the dawn of time. He didn't need to be a pawn, did he? In chess, a pawn could always reach the end of the board. At that time, it could become anything it wanted. Any other piece, which could move in any way imaginable. Nothing kept it on the straight and narrow after that.

He felt like he'd reached the end of the board. There was nowhere to go from here but backward, and to start cleaning up the mess he'd helped create. But to do that, he'd start with a move that none of them could have seen. It was the only move left to him now, and the only way to ensure that the future came out with a grain of hope left in it.

Under Link's stare, Rigo gripped his sword tighter with his hand and, with conviction, took the single, powerful swing that would lock him into a new destiny. He did not aim for Link's neck, or his gut, or any part of his body whatsoever. He aimed for the Chalice. And whatever power it was that safeguarded the artifact now was either too preoccupied with the Hero or too unprepared for this new attack to stop him too.

Rigo's sword came down onto the Chalice with all the force he could put behind it, and when he struck the lip of the cup, the blade sliced through the soft metal until it was cloven straight in two. His sword clanged hard against the Pedestal of Time at the bottom with a spark, and the essence of the Chalice's magic blew out from it in a hurricane gust. Rigo raised his arm to shield his eyes as his cloak and hair were thrown out behind him. Leaves tumbled about the clearing outward from the Pedestal. Link's hat blew out in the gale like a windsock. And just as quickly as it all had happened, it was over, and the two men were in the clearing alone.

Link came back to himself in an instant of release and stumbled, seemingly unfamiliar with the sensation of moving his own body again. He lowered his sword to his side and looked at Rigo in utter disbelief, before turning to the severed halves of the Chalice of Nayru. Rigo stepped up and examined them as well. Whatever mesmerism the cup had held before, that was gone now. Broken as it was, it was nothing but two small hunks of molded silver and the insetting, some of which was shattered on the ground. It no longer pulled or fascinated. It was finished.

Rigo couldn't help but let out a laugh. The sound of it was a relief, and he burst into a fit of laughter on the spot. This. Everything had been fought for this. All the dire consequences and visions he'd had of disaster. All of that, because of this. And now here it was. Useless. He laughed and collapsed, sitting down on the edge of the Pedestal. He wished he'd thought of the idea himself.

Link turned to him and apparently couldn't help cracking a smile himself. Rigo wanted to say something to the Hero. Some apology or explanation, or any rectification of what he had done, but there was nothing. No words could do more than his action had, and instead he just looked at Link, giggled, and nodded. Both of them knew what had needed to be done, and Link, it seemed, understood. The Master Sword was tucked back into its scabbard, and the Hero exhaled a sigh of relief.

What would happen now? Would the survivors be able to get out of Hyrule? Could they flee back to the desert, back to their homes, without any more death? Could he and Amili come out of this alright after all? He could only hope.

He didn't know how long he sat there reveling in this victory, forgetting about the conflict outside, before Nabooru's voice came to him again from its usual place.

_Kid, get up! We have a problem._

Rigo groaned outwardly, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Link. He turned his conversation inward. _Did we manage to stop it? Did we lower the Fountain?_

_It's destroyed, kid. The Chalice and the Fountain are one here. It's destroyed. But you weren't fast enough!_

Rigo swallowed hard. _What do you mean?_

_You've gotta get through the Door now,_ Nabooru insisted. _It's Tydus._

Rigo's heart froze. No, he thought. No, there was no way that man could still be a problem. How was it possible? He turned to Link. "We need to check on the Fountain," he said. The Hero agreed and nodded.

Rigo pulled himself to his feet and trotted off toward the stairs, back toward the battle, and prepared to enter the Sacred Realm with Link at his back. If Tydus was really still alive, then it was time to end him once and for all.


End file.
